Check out this blast from the past, courtesy of the PopSci archives.

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While roller-skating technology has been successfully spiced up over the years (see Rollerblades and those funky off-road skates with the big wheels), this gem from PopSci´s September 1939 issue illustrates an innovation that didn´t quite catch on. A night at the rink may indeed have been hard on the lower back, even before roller-disco. But this third-skate seat extension (hockey stick not included) probably sent more people to the chiropractor than the â€Jungle Boogie.â€



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February 2012: The Future of Fun

Science is reinventing play, from extreme sports to gamification to ridiculous roller coasters to the playgrounds of tomorrow, and this issue is chock full of fun. Also, on a less fun note: Did global warming destroy my hometown?


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