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#nostalgia

4 stories

Her Future Husband Was Hiding in an Old Photo

Her Future Husband Was Hiding in an Old Photo

Brenna Jennings rediscovered a photograph from a Boston house party in 1998 showing her sitting beside the boyfriend she was dating at the time. Decades later, she noticed another man quietly sitting near the window: Steve De Trolio, her then-roommate, whom she would eventually fall in love with and marry. Nearly three decades into their marriage, the photograph has become an extraordinary snapshot of two completely different possible futures appearing in the same frame.

Sunday, 13 September

Full day
The Return of the Landline

The Return of the Landline

Sales of home landline phones have risen for the first time in two decades, driven by parents who want their children reachable without handing over a smartphone. Some families say the fixed phone has restored the lost art of the awkward hello. Telecoms firms admit they were caught off guard by the demand.

Thursday, 10 September

Full day
The Last Video Shop in the Country Is Thriving

The Last Video Shop in the Country Is Thriving

What is believed to be the last DVD rental store in South Africa has reported its best year in a decade, with a waiting list for membership. The owner credits a curated wall of staff picks and the fact that nobody has ever spent forty minutes scrolling his shelves without choosing something. Streaming services have not commented.

The Comeback of the Mixtape

The Comeback of the Mixtape

Cassette sales have hit their highest level in twenty years, driven by young listeners who never owned one the first time round. Shops say the appeal is not sound quality but effort: a tape takes time to make and cannot be skipped. Several artists now release tapes before streaming.