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Hometown Proud
Black Friday has barely just started and you’re probably already sick of it. In an attempt at counter-programming, here’s a classic Tedium piece about a grocery store chain that represents little of...
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Socket To Me
Today in Tedium: The evidence is getting stronger by the day that our computers are becoming less upgradable, with more things soldered on, glued in, and screwed down than ever. Part of this is a side...
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Kicking Out The Jams
Hey all, Ernie here with a fresh piece from David Buck, who has a lot of passion for a certain alternative-rock band from Seattle. (No, not that one.) Read on … Today in Tedium: Every once in a while,...
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When a Chain Breaks
Hey all, Ernie here with a special treat for today’s Tedium. Recently, I was informed that someone had seen a piece I had written a while ago about fast food failures—and was inspired by it to take...
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The Internet, Through A Filter
Today in Tedium: If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years as a writer, it’s that when someone doesn’t like something enough to email about it, they start their message out with “I read with great...
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The Infomercial Game
Today in Tedium: You know how Apple holds itself up as a paragon of privacy these days, taking steps to protect your data and your phone from bad people? There’s a problem with that mindset: Its App...
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The Bagdasarian Effect
Hey all, Ernie here with a fresh piece from David Buck, who isn’t really a holiday guy, but can find something to appreciate about the guy who created one of the most iconic novelty holiday songs of...
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Desperation-Tinged Gift Ideas
Today in Tedium: The holiday season is a great time to give people things we think they want, but what about the folks we want to give things we know they won’t? This is a question we’ve tackled...
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Pato’s Game Theory Christmas
Hey all, Ernie here with a piece from Andrew Egan that may be the best application of The Prisoner’s Dilemma to holiday shopping that I’ve seen yet. May the odds be forever in your favor. Today in...
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Belt, Buckled
Today in Tedium: Traveling, in one way or another, is a series of belts. Perhaps you’re traveling in a car, and you’re putting on a seat belt to ensure your safety. Perhaps you’re one of those...
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Another Year of Tedium
Today in Tedium: Another year has completely passed us by, and with it is more heartache than should even be allowed to fit in the span of 365 days. (Someone pass the Pepto.) But if you look closely...
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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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