Ernie Smith

<h4 style="text-align: center;"><em style="font-weight: normal; color: #c00c20;">“When I’m about to go down the Internet rabbit hole, Tedium is a great place to start. I look forward to every new post.”</em></h4>
<div style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1em;"><a href="https://twitter.com/cwl_cc"><em>Kevin Costain</em></a><br></div>
 
<h4 style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-align: center;">“Tedium combines the best of the 99% Invisible podcast and James Burke’s Connections TV show. It takes the invisible and makes it visible again and then connects it to the past and present creating a livelier picture than you ever knew existed.”</h4>
<div style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1em;"><em><a href="https://twitter.com/ultramagnus_tcv">Mike Whalen</a></em></div>
 
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<h1>Here’s Why You Should Support <a href="http://tedium.co/" target="_blank">Tedium</a>: The Dull Side of the Internet.</h1>
Most people don’t see the deeper meaning in a 
<a href="http://tedium.co/2016/05/26/hot-pocket-history-iran-jewish-diaspora/">Hot Pocket</a> or a <a href="http://tedium.co/2017/02/07/fingernail-trimming-history/">fingernail clipper</a>. <br>
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That’s too bad, because there’s totally something there that’s worth reading into. You just have to be willing to look.
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<a href="https://tedium.co/">Tedium is a newsletter</a> and website that does a deep dive into the mundane, the unusual, and the trivial—or as we love to put it, we’re hunting for the end of the long tail. <br>
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We tell stories about the noble failures and the historic moments deemed too useless for the history books. We’ll hunt through old newspapers, vintage patent filings, and BBS-era text files—all with the goal of culling out the story that was once hidden and deserves to be brought to the surface. And we link the hell out of everything in case you wanna dive in yourself.
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<h3>Why should I trust you guys to find awesome stuff?</h3>
We have a track record. We've been at this for nearly four years, with mentions in 
<a href="https://www.wired.com/2018/01/gadget-lab-podcast-344/">Wired</a>, on <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/02/13/515035040/episode-754-im-so-happy-for-you">NPR's Planet Money podcast</a>, and frequent syndication on sites such as Vice's Motherboard and Atlas Obscura.<br>
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Some of our pieces have even gone super-viral, including 
<a href="https://tedium.co/2018/02/14/3dfx-history-failure/">the tale of 3Dfx</a> and the <a href="https://tedium.co/2016/11/10/cheese-curls-creation-story/">unlikely agricultural roots of the cheese curl</a>. We publish a lot of weird stuff, and they're stories that nobody else is really talking about.<br>
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<h3>What do these donations pay for?</h3>
Glad you asked! Publishing Tedium takes a lot of time (generally 20 hours per week), and there are some set costs that come with it. On top of that, there are occasional contributors who get paid something for their work. We try to minimize those costs where we can, but it would still be nice to not have to go out of pocket for things like 
<a href="http://newspapers.com/">research materials</a>, <a href="https://emailoctopus.com/">email distribution platforms</a>, <a href="http://imgix.com">image hosting</a> (GIFs aren’t cheap), and <a href="http://buffer.com/">social media management</a>. Every little bit helps. And so could you.<br>
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<h3>What do you get, anyway?</h3>
Check out our benefits over to the side reach out if any of them interest you. (We have a $25 tier in which I buy you random stuff. It's highly recommended.)
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Help us tell awesome stories about boring things—and you’ll be rewarded with some awesome knowledge. Promise. Thanks a bunch.
<em>— Ernie @ Tedium</em>

Free

<strong>You're considered a friend of mine,</strong> which means that if we meet in person, I owe you a high-five or two.

Virtual High-Five

<strong>You get a spot on a thank-you page on Tedium's website,</strong> which we hope will be full of names just like yours.

High-Five

<strong>Anyone that signs up for this benefit (or above)</strong> will occasionally get a surprise from the Tedium team. I'm not saying what that surprise might be, other than it might be physical, but it'll be good.

Higher-Five

<strong>This is the same as the $5 benefit,</strong> but intended for international patrons outside of North America, with the extra cost covering higher shipping costs. (If you're in North America, opt for the $5 tier.)

Air High-Five

<strong>You get a shout-out in an upcoming issue of the newsletter,</strong> including a link to the website of your choice. We'll also say thanks on social media.

Double High-Five

<strong>Like getting stuff in the mail?</strong> If so, this one is for you. Every couple of months, we'll buy you something through an online shopping service that's related to a recent Tedium story. Maybe it's a book; maybe it's a weird nick-nack. But it'll be worth your while if you like odd stuff.

A Shared Experience

<strong>For people who like getting really nice stuff through the mail.</strong> Every couple of months, we'll buy you something (up to $25 value) through an online shopping service that's related to a recent Tedium story. We'll make it fun and interesting.

Many Shared Experiences

<strong>Want to play a role</strong> in putting together a future Tedium story? This is the category for you. If you sign up here, I'll take part in an hour-long brainstorm with you over the phone or Slack, and we'll back-and-forth on a wacky story idea about a topic that you directly help me decide on. (Benefit limited to just a few people.)

Trusted Confidante

<strong>I will perform and sing the "Perfect Strangers" theme song</strong> in your honor, and post the results on the internet for everyone to enjoy.

Ernie Smith

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