Buried Secrets Podcast (Page 3)

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a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 6

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 6)

Check out the rest of my look at the legends surrounding the Luxor Hotel: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 The Luxor's construction Some folks online pointed out that the Luxor was built very quickly (in 18 months) and cheaply (it cost almost as much to

a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 4

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 5)

Check out the rest of my look at the legends surrounding the Luxor Hotel: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 Content note: this post contains mention of suicide and guns. Over the last week or so, I’ve talked about the Luxor Hotel’s history and shifting identity,

a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 4

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 4)

Check out the rest of my look at the legends surrounding the Luxor Hotel: part 1, part 2, part 3 Content note: this one gets slightly gruesome, with mentions of that creepy Bodies exhibit. Despite my fond memories of the Luxor, it seems like there’s some bad vibes at

a diagram of a DR60 overlaid on a swirled purple background with the words "the hype around the Panasonic RR-DR60"

The hype around the Panasonic RR-DR60

A look at lore surrounding the legendary Panasonic RR-DR60. How did the late 1990s audio recorder become a device that now sells for $4,000-5,000 USD on eBay? What makes the DR60 so special? Highlights include: * plenty o' nostalgia (and skepticism) * a digression about hard drives (everyone's favorite) * some

a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 3

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 3)

Check out the rest of my look at the legends surrounding the Luxor Hotel: part 1, part 2 De-theming The last couple days, I've talked about some of my nostalgia the Luxor (as it was when I visited in 1995) and some of the original aspirations and creativity behind the

a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 2

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 2)

Check out part 1 of my look at the legends surrounding the Luxor Hotel What does the Luxor look like? Much of the lore about the Luxor's supposed hauntings are inspired by the pure . . . strangeness . . . of the Luxor's appearance. First off, the Egyptian-themed hotel is, of course, a pyramid. Named

a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 1

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 1)

Back in the 1990s, there were grand plans to make Las Vegas into a Disney World-type destination, full of ornate themed resorts and activities for children. The Luxor Hotel and Casino, an ancient Egyptian-themed hotel shaped like a giant obsidian pyramid with a beam of light coming out of the

a drawing of mugwort, columbine, garlic mustard, bluebells, wild geranium, and white trillium

Crunch time (Learning Things: May 29, 2023)

Thank you to everyone who reached out last week about my digital garden blog post series! I've had some great conversations with folks about it, and I'm glad it's a topic that's resonating with other people, too. So what's up with me this week? My wife and I going to

a halftone illustration of a walled garden with the text "trapped in walled gardens"

A plea to fellow paranormal researchers: break free of walled gardens and build your own digital gardens

Earlier this year, one of my favorite thinkers, sci-fi author Cory Doctorow coined the term "enshittification." Enshittification is the process of a platform destroying itself. It often goes like this: the platform initially seems great, so users sign up, then it shafts its users in favor of attracting business users,

a sketch of a tree from the Cloisters garden in NYC

How to set up your own digital garden

Yesterday, I wrote about why I set up a digital garden. Today, I wanted to share a bit more about exactly how I set it up, as well as my current workflow for sharing notes. I'm only a couple weeks into tending my digital garden, so I wouldn't be surprised

mint green and white pixel art of a mushroom and some sparkles

Tending the garden: digital gardening goals

I recently set up a digital garden to share some of my in-progress research notes. Yesterday, I wrote about what a digital garden is. Today, I want to delve into my goals for the garden. My notetaking methods As a paranormal researcher, I use the zettlekasten method of taking notes.

yellow and purple pixel art of a rosebush with the word "digital gardens"

Digital gardens, zettlekasten, and paranormal research

How and why I'm sharing my in-progress research notes

engraving style flowers based on a 19th century illustration

A meandering week (Learning Things: May 22, 2021)

This past week has felt especially meandering to me. Time seems slightly twisty; I've found myself repeatedly writing the date as either March 2023 or May 2025, so I'm not sure what that's about. I suppose I should just be grateful that my brain finally feels like it's broken out

polaroid photos with the text "we can be sure this is real"

Instant photography, nostalgia, and the paranormal

A wild ride through nostalgia about instant photography, the pitfalls of both analog and digital photography, the weirdly zeitgeisty history of the Polaroid Corporation, and the search for images we can "trust."

a drawing of an ouroboros superimposed over trees, with the words "a stone with curious carvings"

The Philosopher's Stone in Philadelphia

Yesterday, I wrote about Johannes Kelpius and his group of mystic monks who moved to Philadelphia in the 1690s to wait for the end of the world. Though the group had Christian inclinations, they also dabbled in esoteric practices like astral projection, astrology and astronomy, and alchemy. Here's one weird

a green halftone photo of a cave in the woods with the text "a doomsday cult in philly"

An occult doomsday cult in 1690s Philly

In the 1690s, a Transylvanian-born mystic, occultist, musician, and writer named Johannes Kelpius led a group of forty Rosicrucian monks to colonial Philadelphia await the end of the world. Though Kelpius and his group of highly-educated mystics were disappointed when the day of revelation didn’t come, they made the

a halftone illustration of a vintage tape deck with the repeating words "the gateway tapes" surrounding it

My Gateway Tapes experience (so far)

Initial thoughts on a foray into doing the Gateway tapes.

A pixel drawing of a cranesbill plant

Digital gardens and fungi research (Learning Things: May 15, 2023)

It's really feeling like spring here in NYC (or summer, really—it's been toasty). My wife and I went to Central Park this week, which is in bloom and full of birds (we saw a black-crowned night heron, which is always exciting). The cranesbill bloom pixel art that accompanies this

a digital collage of an ad for UFO detectors in Skywatch magazine

Vintage UFO detectors

Some charming "UFO detectors."

a digital collage of multiple magnetic maps and the words "magnetic anomalies map from the United States geological survey"

Window areas and how to find magnetic faults near you

How to research a specific area's magnetic anomalies.

a digital drawing of a teal UFO, moon, and stars

Electromagnetism, UFOs, and psychic abilities

Following up on last week's post about John Keel's Wednesday phenomenon, I want to look at electromagnetic weirdness that came up in both John Keel's book Operation Trojan Horse (1970) and Russel Targ's book Limitless Mind (2010). Also, a disclaimer: Physics was my worst subject in school (well, that and

a drawing of a purple Eurasian eagle-owl

Dark forests and notable trees (Link Roundup: May 9, 2023)

Here's some stuff I've enjoyed reading, playing, and listening to lately.

a yellow UFO with a purple background with a graph of notes

Vintage zines and research woes (Learning Things: May 8, 2023)

Here's a rundown of what I've been up to this week: Paranormal research Over the weekend, I spent a while looking through old UFO newsletters and zines. I love the aesthetic of the typewritten, xeroxed 1950s-1980s publications (I definitely have a bit of anemoia when it comes to 'em.) I

A halftone-style photo collage of a polaroid camera, headphones, and a spirit box with the words "feeling nostalgic"

Spirit boxes and paranormal nostalgia

A deep dive into nostalgia, liminality, and the paranormal.

a purple UFO imposed over a distorted halftone USGS magnetic anomaly map

What's the best time for remote viewing and seeing ultraterrestrials?

More about John Keel's Wednesday phenomenon.