From the Tedium Archives: Somehow CGA graphics, the IBM PC’s first take on color, haven’t completely faded into history. But those four colors inspire a whole lot of nostalgia. 

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The saga of the Missouri governor reflects a failure by the powerful to embrace curiosity—curiosity encouraged by the HTML language he fails to understand.

Hampster Economics

Pondering how a meme from a quarter-century ago might have gone over in today’s much-more-mature creator economy.

Weapon of mass dimensions: Michael Pick, a.k.a. The Casual Engineer, has developed a gigantic Nerf gun that’s 12 and a half feet long and weighs more than 200 pounds. It is an impressive way to deploy Nerf darts as needed. Is your mind blown? Yeah, so’s mine. Be sure to check out my story for Vice on his giant Nintendo Switch.

Does This Ring A Bell?

The chatter around breaking up Facebook makes it a great time to talk about why the last effort to break up a communications giant, AT&T, didn’t really work.

Repetition, In Four Parts

Pondering the issue of repetition in four different ways, in an effort to not repeat myself. Ever feel like you’re repeating yourself? Read this.

Braids of Nylon, Everywhere

How braided nylon became such a hip part of our charging cables. Long story short: people like it when their cables feel like rope!

The Story Behind A Box

The cable converter box, a relic of the cable era of the 1970s, was developed in part by one of the first people to install a cable system. Here’s his story.

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Yikes! You Call That a Pencil?

How a pencil made out of compressed particle boards became a schoolyard fad—and what that pencil line has to do with olestra.

ACE in the Hole

Discussing the unusual legacy of the CableACE Awards, the cable industry’s attempt to promote its quality to subscribers. Eventually, the Emmys did the job.

Tedious Failures, Revisited

A little advice on how to become a successful writer, as explained via lessons on becoming a failed comedy songwriter.
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