Nostalgia - Buried Secrets Podcast

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Nostalgia

A collection of 36 posts

A halftone photo of the view of the St. Lawrence River seen from the Quebec city boardwalk

Do I listen to too many remixes? (Link Roundup: September 2023)

It's been a bit since I last did a link roundup, so I wanted to share some media I've been enjoying lately. This time, the unintentional theme is both cyberpunk and solarpunk. And things are weighted heavily in the direction of electronic song remixes and books about tech, but that's

a digital sketch of a point-and-shoot camera

Tech talismans and commonplace nostalgia

Last time, I wrote about my fascination with a late 2000s "what's in my bag" photograph I stumbled across on Pinterest. The everyday objects that a stranger carried around made me feel such a strong sense of nostalgia that I ended up scouring Pinterest for more images of the contents

a digital sketch of a variety of everyday objects

The Aesthetics of Commonplace Nostalgia

A set of everyday objects sprawl on a slab of cardboard, surrounded by a moat of beige carpet: a yellow iPod Nano slung atop an iPod Classic; the two-tone purple disc of a Advair inhaler; a faded mass market paperback of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; a phone with

a green image of flowers with the words "morality salience hypothesis"

The morality salience hypothesis

Last week, I wrote about terror management theory. Today's another quick post to share a single concept: the morality salience hypothesis. I also learned about this idea from the article "Fighting the future with the past: Nostalgia buffers existential threat", published in the Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 44,

a green image of flowers with the word "terror"

Terror Management Theory

Terror management theory (TMT) is about how we get through day-to-day life while still being aware of our own mortality. It's what keeps us from being consumed by our own fears and anxieties. I'd argue that good terror management practices are probably pretty essential to stay grounded during paranormal investigation

green collage with a Saul Bellow quote

Nostalgia and the Fear of Death

I've been writing a lot about nostalgia and the paranormal lately, looking at how some common paranormal investigation tools are nostalgic and asking what that means. Do our feelings of nostalgia heighten the usefulness of a tool? Do we just trust certain tools more because we feel nostalgic (or perhaps

a green and blue halftone photograph of a churhc with the words "In the present we are always memory -Trish Keenan"

Making digital art feel analog

Yesterday, I wrote about the vintage, halftone-speckled aesthetic of the Ghost Box record label, which got me thinking about a larger art trend that's been on my mind: after the soulless minimalism of the 2010, the 2020s have so far been defined by lush, maximalist imagery. Puffy (sometimes barely legible)

a halftone photograph of a liminal space-style corridor

A fictional town evoked by music: Belbury and Ghost Box records

This weekend, I took a bit of time to listen to some albums put out by the hauntology-heavy Ghost Box record label. I especially enjoyed The Owl's Map and The Belbury Tales by Belbury Poly. The latter is a sort of . . . nostalgic, prog rock-y supernatural concept album that feels equal

a yellow and orange halftone photograph of a raven with the words "lost futures, liminal music"

Musical hauntology

I wouldn't say that I'm "knowledgeable" about "music"

a green and gray halftone photograph of mushrooms with the words "psychogeography & hauntology"

I still don't quite understand hauntology or psychogeography

But I'm trying to

a sketchy digital drawing of a crested owl

Learning Things

Randonauting, synchronicity, and lost batteries (Learning Things: June 19, 2023)

The New Blood Kickstarter campaign is still going strong this week! (It'll be running until July 9 at 8:08 am EST.) Last week, I appeared on a livestream with the rest of the cast and crew of New Blood and Inhuman Beings, two brand-new paranormal shows that we're currently

a purple halftone drawing of a cassette tape and the word "nostalgia"

Feelin' nostalgic: emotions and analog paranormal investigation tools

Continuing my deep dive into nostalgia and the paranormal! Does the way we feel about paranormal investigation tools change their efficacy? How do our emotions (especially nostalgia) interact with the paranormal? Highlights include: * My continuing fascination with whether the ghosts of living people can haunt us * Looking at nostalgic paranormal

a halftone illustration of a UFO and the NYC skyline with the words "anemoia in NYC, feels bad, man"

Midcentury UFO literature, anemoia, and bitterness: Part 2

Check out part one of this post. One of my favorite terms is anemoia, or "nostalgia for a time or place that one has never known." It was coined in John Koenig's Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, which I own but haven't read cover-to-cover yet. I wonder, is there a term

a halftone illustration of a UFO and the NYC skyline with the words "anemoia in NYC, feels bad, man"

Midcentury UFO literature, anemoia, and bitterness: Part 1

A quick heads up: I’ll be on a livestream tonight at 8:30 pm along with the rest of the cast and crew of the two new queer paranormal shows we’re currently funding on Kickstarter, so tune into the New Blood TV YouTube channel to watch that! (In

a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 9

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 9)

The actual ghost stories

green halftone UFO drawing with a Russell Targ quote: to be right, you have to be willing to be wrong.

Digital camera nostalgia, remote viewing, and digital gardening (Learning Things: June 12, 2023)

I'm back from Iceland and back in the swing of things. It's shaping up to be a busy month, but a good one! One big ongoing project: I mentioned this last week, but the New Blood Kickstarter is still in progress! In case you missed it, a few months ago,

a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 8

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 8)

Check out the rest of my look at the legends surrounding the Luxor Hotel: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7 Yesterday, I mentioned that the Luxor's pyramid shape worked upon people's imaginations, encouraging them to construct occult lore around the place. I'd

a halftone illustration of the Luxor hotel with the words The Curse of The Luxor Part 7

The Curse of the Luxor Hotel (Part 7)

Some real bad stuff

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