I was bored at a flea market and found a photo album full of 70s vacation snaps... | Found Without Algorithms

Val Craig · 2026-02-26T09:26:03.7007+00:00

It made me realize how finding stuff like that used to be normal, not something an algorithm picks for you.

At a yard sale, found a 1960s diary waiting for me...

7

Totally get what you mean, and @robert_gonzalez90 makes a good point about the junk being the same. The surprise of digging through a dusty bin and actually holding something weird is just gone when a machine guesses for you. Found a box of 80s concert tickets in a record store basement once, just sitting there waiting. That random luck feels way more special than a "because you liked" list, you know? What's the coolest physical thing you've stumbled on by accident?

5

robert_gonzalez907mo ago

Flea markets still exist though, you can go find stuff like that any weekend. The algorithm just shows you junk online instead of in person. Not sure it's really that different of an experience.

1