Despite being banned in numerous states, Sprayground releases all new graffiti backpack today. (2016)

The Graffiti Utility Backpack has stoked controversy since it was made available, with critics voicing concern it “sends the wrong message” and “encourages vandalism.”
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Icelanders Seek to Keep Their Language Alive and Out of ‘the Latin Bin’

The people of Iceland, a rugged North Atlantic island settled by Norsemen about 1,100 years ago, have a unique dialect of Old Norse that has adapted to life at the edge of the Arctic. Hundslappadrifa, for example, means “heavy snowfall with large flakes occurring in calm wind.” But the revered Icelandic language, seen by many as a source of identity and pride, is being undermined by the widespread use of English, both in the tourism industry and in the voice-controlled artificial intelligence devices coming into vogue.
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The X Factor of Ancient Athens

Everyday citizens became the judges of an ancient theatre prize that challenged popular opinion and rewarded subtlety and intelligence.
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The Next Disney Will Come from China and Its Name Is Tencent

Tencent is using its social networks, WeChat and QQ, and video games to build an entertainment juggernaut.
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Life of the Civil War Soldier in Camp

Only a tiny fraction of any Civil War soldier’s time was spent in front line combat. Instead, the vast majority of his existence revolved around the monotonous routines of camp life, which presented its own set of struggles and hardships.
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The Backstory Behind Carder Kingpin Roman Seleznev’s Record 27 Year Prison Sentence

Roman Seleznev, a 32-year-old Russian cybercriminal and prolific credit card thief, was sentenced Friday to 27 years in federal prison. That is a record punishment for hacking violations in the United States and by all accounts one designed to send a message to criminal hackers everywhere. But a close review of the case suggests that Seleznev’s record sentence was severe in large part because the evidence against him was substantial and yet he declined to cooperate with prosecutors prior to his trial.
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Hot, Sticky and Sweet

We aren’t necessarily what we eat. But what we eat often inadvertently explains what we want to be. Who knew you could learn so much about Southern identity by thinking really hard about doughnuts? By Keaton Lamle.
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