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Network Effects
Hey all! In lieu of a new piece, tonight’s Tedium is a lightly updated classic edition discussing one of the weirdest phenomena you’ll see at the airport: The naming conventions of the stores. Admit...
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Super (Small) Models
Hey all, Ernie here with a piece from resident enthusiast David Buck, who is enthused about building things at small sizes. Read on to see his scale-model insights. Today in Tedium: From classic cars,...
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Extreme Googling
Today in Tedium: Love, hate, or criticize them, Google is just a part of life these days. (They’re marginally less evil than Facebook, which helps.) Silicon Valley’s algorithmic gift to the world is...
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Silicon Persistence
Hey all, Ernie here with a recent piece of mine that also showed up in Motherboard. In case you haven't read it yet, it's a good one and highlights both SGI and the the excellent community IRIX.cc....
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Otis Nixon, the CD-i, and Me
Editor's note: Once I heard this story from my pal D. Frank Smith about America's Team, the Atlanta Braves, and the worst console of a generation, I knew I had to share it with you guys. Enjoy! “Is...
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Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too
Today in Tedium: Two decades ago this month, a couple of things happened in the world of music that forever shaped the way I thought about it. One, the Barenaked Ladies scored a number-one hit on the...
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The Lazarus Libraries
Hey all, Ernie here with a piece from Andrew Egan, who is following his recent interest in film in a couple of new directions this time around. Check out what he found. Today in Tedium: Among the many...
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The Halloween-Industrial Complex
Hey all, with the just-announced bankruptcy of Sears (which I have a timely piece about) and the liquidation of Toys ‘R’ Us this year, now felt like a good time to relive one of my favorite Tedium...
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Dual-Pronged
Today in Tedium: If you’ve been reading my Twitter feed recently, beyond the jokes about old Stephen King aliases and sketchy emails from “Warren Buffett,” you’ll know that I spent a lot of my time...
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Simulated Crime
Today in Tedium: One of my favorite recent SNL sketches features an absurd concept brought to life with the help of an insane invention of the writer’s room. The scenario: A group of FBI agent...
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Doin’ The Mash
Hey all, Ernie here with a fresh piece from David Buck, who last hit us with some chatter on scale models. This time, he dives into one of the most iconic novelty hits ever created. Check it out!...
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Bizarro Mash
In last Thursday’s issue of Tedium, we discussed our favorite cover versions of that spooky Halloween classic, “The Monster Mash.” In 1962, popular horror host John Zacherle put out his own version of...
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Let's Overanalyze Fun
Today in Tedium: If candy bars come in fun sizes, shouldn't the largest size be the most fun? And really, come to think of it, what's all that fun about a tiny piece of candy that's surrounded in...
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Beyond The McRib
Today in Tedium: We put a weird amount of weight into the food that we eat. (And conversely, depending on the food, it puts a weird amount of weight on us.) And over time we gain affinity for certain...
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His Name Was Larry
Editor’s note: Hey all, Ernie here with a refresh of a piece from David Buck about outsider musician Wild Man Fischer. It’s a topic he knows a lot about; just ask him about R. Stevie Moore sometime....
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Counting All Cars
Today in Tedium: A little more than a year ago, I regaled what might be my all-time favorite Tedium story—a tale about how the railroad industry effectively invented the barcode but failed to make it...
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Totally Tubular
Hey all, Ernie here with a fresh piece from Andrew Egan, who seems ready to fill in the gaps I haven’t managed to fill in this dang newsletter. Today in Tedium: Among obscure pop culture tidbits and...
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Hands-Free Horrible
As infomercials go, it was an incredible one. A clip, less than a minute long, that somehow made compelling case that people should wear a piece of plastic on their heads, strap a piece of velcro to...
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Dr. Koop’s Digital Korner
Today in Tedium: Generally, bureaucrats don’t tend to transcend their titles. Often, they leave public service as quick as they entered, or stay behind the scenes over a long career. Dr. C. Everett...
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Corporate Casserole
Today in Tedium: After mashed potatoes (instant or not), perhaps my favorite Thanksgiving dish is green bean casserole, a well-thought mixture of dried onions, green beans, and Cream of Mushroom soup,...
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