From the Tedium Archives: Why Queen Elizabeth’s coronation was almost banned from TV. 

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Defeating Mouse Lint

The rise of the optical mouse, a device so good at its job that it effectively killed off the rubber ball, and the sometimes questionable people who invented it.

Does One Line Fix Google?

Forget AI. Google just created a version of its search engine free of all the extra junk it has added over the past decade-plus. All you have to do is add "udm=14" to the search URL.
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Our share buttons are now passive aggressive. We were impressed by Ben Werdmuller’s ShareOpenly tool, which is simple, tracking-free, and works on a lot of networks. So we decided to be an early adopter of the share-anywhere technology. But in the process of adding it, we made the buttons for the other networks more discouraging. Enjoy the new gray Twitter share button.

Everything Becomes Growth Hacking

If your platform is being exploited by growth hackers, you need to moderate it, or you threaten its long-term health, reputation, and survival. It’s not easy—because growth hacking always finds a way.

The CPU That Will Never Die

Why the Z80 CPU has endured for the last 48 years, and what we're going to do now it starts to finally show hints of retirement.

Press, Pause

Beyond misunderstanding its iPad consumer base, Apple’s infamous “Crush” ad deeply misunderstands the role of the hydraulic press in meme culture.

Chaos, Coyotes & Palm Trees

John Mulaney’s pop-up Netflix show Everybody’s In L.A. is my absolute new favorite thing. If you’re not watching, you’re missing out on something special.

“We made a bet on scale—and then watched that bet fail over and over again.”

— From “Scale is a trap,” Ernie’s Nieman Lab prediction for 2024. Check it out!

When It Rains, It Pours

Umbrella design is an interesting conundrum. Sure, it could be better, but nobody's come up with a successful new design in hundreds of years. Why is that?

Interface Interference

The problem that’s bugging me about the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin dunk-fests: A seeming discouragement of hardware innovation.

Your Phone’s Other Number

Where did the IMEI number come from, why is it so freaking long, and why does your phone need it? If you’ve ever wondered, we’ve got you covered.
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