2021 Tedium Highlight by Ernie Smith: The all-you-can-eat buffet suffers yet another body blow. 

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Ernie Smith’s 2021 Highlights

December 2021

(Finally) Getting The Last Word

After a year full of really chewy media stories that generated a whole lot of bloggy rants, the one that really matters the most is the survivor’s tale of a bad media workplace amid the Great Resignation.

Out of Control

With a business structure just as shady as its titles, the most notorious maker of X-rated Atari 2600 games had a story worth retelling. A deep dive into that tale shows how diving deep into the archives can build a stronger story. The result ranks as MidRange’s history article of the year.

Small Device, Big Impact

In the first of our year-end awards, a video about the MiniDisc’s surprisingly robust impact highlights how a well-researched documentary video can get you to rethink a common object.

Lump of Coal

How a strangely written email with an unusual source accidentally created a compliance headache for a bunch of companies trying to comply with two major privacy regulations.

Little Dot, Big Headaches

Apple’s efforts to improve privacy on MacOS run into a brick wall for visual artists who find a new feature that puts a tiny dot on their screens to be extremely problematic for their use case.

Working Past the Mothballs

With an obscure-yet-surprisingly-relevant sketch that most people were likely unfamiliar with, Saturday Night Live’s unexpected need for curated old content paid off over the weekend. Those with archives should take notes.

Money, the Great Insulator

When it comes to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen selling their catalogs, our opinion of their work no longer really matters, good or bad. The massive payday, honestly, says it all.

Avoid the Cookie Cutter

The creator economy is often driven by top-tier success stories, rather than lower-rung sustainability. There’s only so much we can take from those stories without watering down the uniqueness of that creation.

The Best of Two Annoying Worlds

The case for not raking leaves, but mulching them with a lawn mower. Not only is it easier, but it also helps encourage natural processes for your lawn.

Don’t Throw It Away

On continuing to find ways to use old machines despite having a pretty amazing new one.

The Bad Bluetooth Story Blues

In an effort to write up some inside baseball about Vice President Kamala Harris, Politico misses an opportunity to teach a broad audience about a common technology’s inherent security risks.

Jukt Bonds

An incredibly thoughtful story about the second act of an infamous former journalist has me rethinking my wardrobe.

Don’t Look Through the Microscope

A note to myself about how to approach criticism. Feel free to link me this piece if it looks like I’m getting a little too invested in a slight.
November 2021

Recipe Ransacking

Should copyright cover recipes? It’s a question coming up more and more as cooking becomes big business, and plagiarism becomes a bigger problem.

Bring back Web1

The reason why Web3 feels a bit hollow to me comes down to the fact that it’s clearly being driven by commercial forces, when prior iterations of the internet were not to the same degree.

A Chart-Record Feast

Two of the most important records in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 fell this week, and man, I can’t wait to nerd out about them.

The FrankenMac

Thinking back to a time in my life when an old iBook gave me a window into a broader world … and why I got rid of it.

Some Brewed Morning

The weird feeling of having your strange SEO experiment linked in one of the largest newsletters on the internet. (Howdy, Morning Brew.)

Oops, I Did That

Talking myself through a moment in which I accidentally locked myself out of an important Twitter account because I tried to get clever.

Money Breaks Things

The newsletter ecosystem, like other publishing ecosystems before it, wasn’t allowed to grow naturally … and that has complicated the path forward for creators relying on it as a career path.

The Great Linux Tablet Hope

The JingPad A1, which just started shipping to Indiegogo donors, is looking very promising thus far. Here’s a first look—a full review is on the way.

What Makes Something Obscure?

How can something be obscure if you still use it? Short answer: It’s a question of framing. Here’s the general definition I use for what makes something obscure.

A Holiday Film for My Generation

The upcoming 8-Bit Christmas promises to hit the nostalgic spot for middle-aged people who grew up in the late ’80s obsessed with Nintendo. Even if it sucks, it will be amazing.

Obsessed With The Bird

Personally, I feel bad that Big Bird’s vaccination has upset the same group of loud people who dominate every discussion that aims to divide us culturally.

The Newsletter Underclass

The Atlantic is doing good work by bringing in newsletters. But it, like Substack’s recent moves, puts the indie roots of email newsletters at risk by potentially starving new voices of attention.

Packed Like Sardines

Dorms are crammed areas, but a viral story about a dorm designed to emphasize open areas—with an unusual architect—has me thinking about my own dorm room days.

Old Drama, Replayed

That feeling when one of my blood-boilingest rants appeared on Hacker News more than three years after I originally wrote it—and long after the conflict was settled.
October 2021

An Ode To Picross

Picross, or the nonogram, is a game that I’ve found to strike the perfect balance between mental challenge and low-stakes calmness. Here’s why you should try it.

Don’t Be the Straggler

Frustratingly, a few key apps—most notably Dropbox—are falling down on the job of natively supporting Apple Silicon, affecting performance on the new M1 devices. Strategically, this is a bad place to be.

When Speculation Gets Ugly

The tragic and complex situation around the accidental shooting on the Rust set requires investigations and in-depth reporting, not armchair critics. Let the process play out.

On Grid Removal

I largely was off the grid for a couple of days this week, and I feel like (as much as I hate it at times) the occasional shift is necessary.

Pretending I Saw the MacBooks Yesterday

I am currently in a cabin without internet access, so I have no idea what the new MacBook Pros look like. I wrote this ahead of time as if I know what happened. You know more than me.

Up Against The Limits

Discussing an annoyance of SaaS-based tools: Forcing users to make significant upgrades based on temporary surges. You broke my heart, Zapier.

Robin’s Viral Egg

That impressive Robin Williams YouTube impression reflects a real shift in how people become famous in 2021: By ignoring the casting agents and going directly to the audience with a big idea. Still feels kind of icky, though, doesn’t it?

Porting A Port

An engineer wanted a USB-C port on his iPhone, so he hacked one in himself. It’s the ultimate manifestation of “if there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Your Plot Of Land

If you care about freedom of speech on the internet, don’t expect Facebook, Twitter, or the law to give it to you. You have to build your free space and take it yourself. And that’s not as hard as it sounds.

Don’t Do This

Computer companies are increasingly encouraging users not to open their devices … while still making it entirely possible to do so. This is actually a positive trend, and Valve’s Steam Deck is at the forefront.

Bring Back Personal Websites

Facebook’s epic downtime on Monday is the best possible reminder we have that the native internet already does what Facebook promised us all. Let popular television actor Matthew Gray Gubler set the example for you.

Dead Link Department

How a working link printed in an old newspaper got me thinking anew about the dead links that cover the internet.
September 2021

More Thoughts on Ozy

The problem with Ozy is that it existed to raise up one man’s career, and what helps raise profiles doesn’t convince people to click links.

The Art of Puffery

The website Ozy might have gotten a bit too bold with its claims of readership, as a New York Times column notes. For many site owners, large or small, it’s an understandable instinct best not acted upon.

Bless This Mess

Why I spent the weekend cleaning my piles of junk by putting them into more intentional, somewhat organized piles. (Hint: I want to be creatively inspired.)

Staying the Course

Perhaps the problem with the digital software we use (particularly of the software-as-a-service variety) is that there is no incentive to build things that continue to work well for long periods of time.

Thunder On The Surface

Microsoft apparently is finally giving into all the complaining tech-heads and embracing Thunderbolt on its Surface line. Wonder if they fixed the security concerns.

Norm-Core

Watching old Norm MacDonald clips on YouTube as a mental health aid.

Clues Blues

Can we talk about how strange it is that, out of all the things original Blue’s Clues host Steve Burns could have talked to his audience about amid the show’s 25th anniversary, he chose student loans?

Open To Interpretation

There’s been a growing push by companies that produce open-source software to either modify the models or move away from them completely. How dangerous is this to the OSS ecosystem in the long run?

Let Us Have Our Holidays

Ransomware attackers are specifically targeting long holiday weekends, like this one, to attack companies of all sizes. The result is that some people may be having to go in this weekend rather than enjoying a three-day break.

Small Concessions, Big Problem

The series of concessions Apple has made over the past week feel like they’re bracing for a potentially even larger concession around the App Store. We should have never let it get to this point.
August 2021

Make Louis Rossmann Famous

The right-to-repair guru, already well-known on YouTube, has been gaining a reputation outside of the platform lately in part because he has been a willing voice for a budding movement. Right to repair needs him.

The Paywall Dilemma

News outlets are becoming more restrictive with their access than ever in an effort to make their paywalls stick, but it threatens to make misinformation far easier to access. A blogging pioneer has a great idea to potentially solve this problem.

Streaming Without Nuance

The movie industry is finding their big blockbusters perform better on the silver screen rather than a small screen. But what if the lesson to take from that is that people want more nuance in their small-screen experiences?

Tripping Into Dumb Luck

Why the viral #CrateChallenge actually turned out to be a motivator to finally push a milk-crate-related project I’ve been developing onto the open internet.

Repetitive Stress Injury

Our solo creators are stressing themselves out trying to keep up with the onslaught of content creation they’ve been tasked with doing. It’s kind of like playing a musical instrument for too long.

Jeopardizing Conduct

The decision to make Mike Richards the host of Jeopardy! really shows a lack of understanding about why people care about Jeopardy! They should rescind that decision and fire Richards, stat.

Contextualizing Bad Aggregation

The saga of Snopes’ co-founder getting nailed on plagiarism charges is a good reminder of the internet era in which it first emerged.

Narrowing My Attack

After getting reminded for the billionth time about the emptiness of political debates, I’m going to try something new: less complaining about politics. After all, I don’t even write about politics.

Medium Complexity

The writer-centric platform, which I’ve written for on many occasions, is changing its model again. The word “whiplash” comes to mind.

Gridlock

Looks like chatter is rising in the web design space about dropping the traditional grid format. And even though I’m a fan of grids, perhaps it’s not totally heresy.

It Could Be Anyone

Considering the strangeness of the most generic notification I’ve ever received—an anonymous internet businessman who read my LinkedIn profile.

Art Direct the Web

Not enough websites change or adapt the design based on individual pieces of content anymore. Maybe there’s room to change that.

Two Visions of the Future

Between Microsoft and a buzzy laptop manufacturer, two separate visions are floating around out there of more sustainable computer upgrade paths for consumers. Maybe we should just be glad that folks are thinking long-term.
July 2021

The Pitch is the Product

Ron Popeil’s legacy is fascinating to think about in the present day, because he probably wouldn’t have needed the kitchen appliance to sell if he was just coming up today.

Valuable Keys

It turns out the keyboard I used when I was 11 years old is now seen as desirable among keyboard enthusiasts. Because I miss the old keyboard, I’m now part of the fad.

Criticism Deflector

Instead of paying lots of money to get people to stop criticizing him on the internet, Elon Musk should pay lots of money to fight cyberbullying. It solves the same goal of burnishing his reputation, but it benefits a lot more people. Just saying.

Did Tumblr Miss Its Shot?

Tumblr has all the elements to be a successful social network, including (now, at least) a monetization strategy that could make sense for both creators and the network itself. But they may have waited too long—and its community may not be as flexible as its owners are.

Pure Digital Fantasy

Considering the provocative nature of a PDF-only publication that takes the stance that HTML is the problem with the internet.

It’s The Ecosystem, Stupid

A Twitter user frustrated about Apple Pay highlights an excellent point about technology support: If companies go out of their way to resist standardization, consumers get none of the benefits of that technology.

Twitter, Be Twitter

Twitter’s Fleets feature didn’t work because the problem it was trying to solve with Fleets might actually be unsolvable. And that’s OK.

Tactical Freedom

The past year-plus of pandemic has been a constant reminder of how we often favor personal convenience at the cost of the greater good. As a culture, we need to figure out why that is … and consider how (or whether) we can even resolve it.

It’s Redesign Time

Explaining the thing that drives me to build a full redesign of my site every once in a while—and what I won’t give up in the process.

FOSS Filter

Pondering how Audacity’s addition of basic tracking tools turned into an overwhelmingly loud “This is spyware” cry from the open-source community.

RSS Rethink

Perhaps the reason why email newsletters work when RSS feeds didn’t comes down to control—that is, publishers feel like they have some say in the medium. And perhaps good ol’ RSS could borrow from that.

Security Hype as a Dumb Excuse (SHaaDE)

If big tech companies are insistent on using security concerns as an excuse to fortify their competitive advantage, we should at least have the right to call it out.

Shaving the Yak

Sometimes, the best adventure to take is the one you stand no chance at succeeding at. But you learn something anyway.
June 2021

A Shortened Lifecycle

Western Digital’s decision to prematurely cut off support for an external hard drive leaves its customers holding the bag in the worst way imaginable.

The Hidden Motherboard

The retro gaming world lost a giant over the weekend—and I can’t stop thinking about how I see myself in a pivotal decision that launched their programming career.

A Modulation Masterpiece

How a popular music YouTuber did something magical with an old cheesy pop song: He forced you to think differently about it, which is really what good storytelling is all about.

Thigh-High Problems

The reason a virtual restaurant called Thighstop now exists is because wings simply became too popular, and Wingstop needs to buy more of the bird.

OnePlus’ Shaky Math

The cult Android device maker (which I personally use) is making some behind-the-scenes changes, but something doesn’t add up.

The Power of Structure

For some people (read: me), the secret to being able to create is having a little tension. Which is to say: The deadline is an important element of the work.

Planned Sorta-Obsolescence

Apple’s move to separate out certain features in its newest operating systems may seem like a not-cool thing to do for users, but in reality, it’s a sign that the company might finally be learning not to arbitrarily leave old devices behind.

A Letter to My Robot Namesake

Amazon has a robot named Ernie, and as someone else also named Ernie, I feel it is my duty to write him a letter to wish him well as he does his thankless job for Amazon.

The Worst Possible Light

Apple’s decision to turn email marketing into a privacy issue means that they’ve put email publishers at odds with their own readers. Maybe Apple should talk to us first before doing something that harms our industry?

Out of Sync, Yet in Sync

As organizations figure out how to get the toothpaste back in the tube that is remote work, one strategy that might help is by maintaining some of the flexibility remote work offered. If someone wants to leave for a couple of hours to work elsewhere, let them.

I Wrote Some Stuff At Seventeen

Discussing the time I wrote 5,000-word pieces for a late-’90s gaming website in exchange for free computer games. I was driven by wanting to tell people how awesome emulation really was.

Amazon’s Weird Email Rule

For some reason, despite allowing affiliate links to be shared on social media, Amazon does not allow them to be shared in emails—which stinks for publishers that could really make them shine.

No Room For Polymaths

A common challenge I see for creative types in the working world is that they tend to be pushed in one direction, despite having skills in many realms. Too bad, because I like design.
May 2021

Utopia Is Complicated

The problem with the old internet isn’t that we treat it like the good old days of digital utopia; it’s that we don’t have enough detail about it to properly understand it with the depth and nuance it deserves.

The Great Key Fob Caper

Pondering that time my Uber driver was unable to finish the trip because they stopped for gas and realized they left their key fob at home.

Coffee Shop Comeback

Why being able to return to a coffee shop after more than a year of pandemic chaos means so much to me.

Internet, Explored

The demise of Internet Explorer (finally) represents what happens when one of the largest companies in the world basically ignores standardization.

Cropped Out

How concerns about bias led Twitter to drop its machine-learning algorithms for automatically cropping photos.

A Superhuman Wait

Writing down my feelings about a startup that decided to admit me to their exclusive service four years after I actually cared. Note: If you don’t want a writer to mock your exclusivity in their newsletter, don’t make them wait four years.

Flamin’ Hot Embellishment

A story about the guy who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, currently being made into a film, in fact might largely be false—and the subject of at least one other famous Hollywood movie might have done the same thing.

Remote Control Takes

Pondering why there seems to be a sudden rush of bad takes on why people need to go back to the office after more than a year in the remote-work wilderness.

Don’t Make Lorne Mad

Elon Musk’s appearance on SNL, seen in light of the artists that SNL has banned over the years, is a reminder that orthodoxy reigns supreme on the sketch show.

Road Writing 101

How innovation has made the process of writing in a moving vehicle a lot less painful than it was just a few years ago (he writes as he’s in a moving vehicle).

Open MagSafe

How I accidentally learned that the Linux-based PinePhone is compatible with the iPhone’s fancy MagSafe wallets right out of the box.

First-Mover Advantage

The problem with the mobile ecosystem, being stress-tested by Epic vs. Apple, is highlighted by the fact that Clubhouse isn’t a Progressive Web App, when it honestly could be.

Kings Of Consistency

The reason why Kings of Convenience hit so unexpectedly hard with its new single last week might be because consistency is a huge asset in the streaming era.
April 2021

Squirrel Story

How I got attacked by a squirrel when I was in college—and why I absolutely deserved it.

Gopher Hole

A recent saga involving the Linux kernel reflects the way that open-source communities are built around trust—and breaking that trust is a big no-no.

Beavers Destroy The Internet

Pondering why beavers would dare use their natural skills to damage something as important as the internet for hundreds of people.

The Cupertino Shakedown

Why the leak-friendly Apple press really needs to think hard about their next moves as a ransomware attack threatens to turn into an extortive motherlode of leaks.

30 Seconds of Ubuntu

Why a fleeting moment in a buzzy movie makes me think 2021 is the year of Linux on the desktop.

The Hissing Of Mowing Lawns

My not-really-that-hard-fought battle against the tyranny of the lawn opens up a new front in Las Vegas.

Not-So-Mysterious Ways

COVID-19’s devastating impact on mainstream retail ultimately rewarded good business practices and harshly punished bad ones.

Golden Slumbers

Nearly a year after writing about the pandemic’s impact on the buffet, I consider the issue again—after noticing that a Golden Corral location near my house permanently closed.

Living On Rented Time

The death of Family Video, the last notable major video rental chain in the U.S., reflects how COVID-19 destroyed even businesses that survived prior disruptions.

Finding My Inner Hermit

The pandemic taught me something I didn’t think I’d ever say about myself 15 years ago: I make a pretty good indoors person.

Miss Cleo and Me

A fundraising scandal involving the former president’s aggressive approach to recurring donations reminds me a lot of something that a famous TV psychic did to my credit card 20 years ago.

My Words, Your Voice

What an open letter that emerged from the music industry says about the art of creativity in mainstream culture.
March 2021

The Lone Coder

A letter of appreciation to the guy who spent years developing one of the few modern web browsers for vintage Macs.

Chaos For Good

Why Lil Nas X, in all his Satan-sneaker glory, represents a positive form of chaos in modern internet culture.

Lock Up Your Phone

Why a marketing scheme by an obvious search-bait website actually has me sort of impressed by the brilliance of its growth hackery.

Maybe All I Need Is a Shot in the Arm

On fighting with pharmacy websites in an effort to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

I Hate Facebook Groups

Explaining why Facebook Groups are built so terribly that even The New York Times couldn’t wait to get rid of their incredibly popular group.

A Culture of Overstimulation

With basically every culture option under the sun served on a platter, it can be tough to find novelty in any of it anymore. Perhaps a change in perception is the solution to that.

Background Competition

I cannot write in the same room where a television is airing, because it destroys my concentration, and I have no clue why. I’m writing this for my own understanding.

Sequestered In Memphis

Discussing one of the most entertaining Twitter bugs in quite some time. Sometimes it doesn’t need to make sense for it to be hilarious.

Values Were Lost

Can you imagine the same internet that was once sold as a noncommercial utopia produced something as crassly commercial as the non-fungible token? Neither can I.

Low Tides

Why did Tidal, a service that tried to do right by both users and artists, become a third-tier music service? Maybe mass audiences don’t really care about quality.

Lessons From a Cleaning

For no particular reason, I decided to spend a couple hours of my day cleaning my keyboard, inside and out. I actually found the process quite enlightening.

Theodor Wasn’t Perfect

Explaining the difference between proper historic contextualization and cancellation, Dr. Seuss style.

Be A Digital Omnivore

It’s easy to stick with one phone or one interface, but by trying out other operating systems, browsers, or even types of smartphones, you get a better understanding of your exact needs.

Big Red Annoyance

How a recent Tedium piece added an incredibly awful annoyance to my life: The Big Red jingle. Please, something else fill my head.
February 2021

Comeback Story

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the lamented mobile operating system webOS expands into new markets in its modern-day home—on television sets the world over.

Resource Hog No More?

Amid the latest flare-up of the Chrome RAM consumption debate, let’s wonder aloud if ARM processors could end this debate once and for all. (I think they can.)

Framing Is Everything

Thoughts on storytelling and historical framing from a pair of recent docuseries, one significantly better at its mission than the other.

Mac & Rush

Pondering the strange feelings that emerge about a controversial figure—one who died just this week, and yes, THAT one—being into the same nerdy thing that you are.

No Complexity Allowed

A new open-source take on the operating system interface aims to solve what ails Linux on the desktop by ignoring it entirely. It might be better for everyone in the end.

I’m Writing A Newsletter, Because It’s Never Been Done Before

Lessons from an indie rock icon on resetting your creative approach to better match your skill set.

Sometimes, It Doesn’t Happen

Not every career opportunity is going to turn out quite the way you expect. Make the opportunities that fall through your hands mean something.

Emptier Than Usual

Why we must accept that MTV is going to be a <em>Ridiculousness</em> rerun wasteland until the end of time, even if we don’t particularly like it.

Walking The Oat

The case for the highly derided Oatly Super Bowl commercial being actually very good at its mission, and as a musical homage of sorts.

Knocking the Hustle

The controversial nature of the gig economy, as reflected by a tone-deficient Super Bowl ad, may come from the fact that a “gig” means different things to different people.

Get Started

The challenging thing about creating something new is building a rhythm. Without it, you’re going to struggle.

Stories in the Trash

Why I find digging through old stuff on Goodwill to be one of my best tools for researching story ideas. Even online.
January 2021

Mission Statement

Limitations matter. This newsletter will be structured around a tight time limit. Here’s why.

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