Discover how Combos, the popular gas-station snack, was invented by a pair of brothers who drilled into an original snack-food idea, then immediately sold it.

Napster is shedding its musical roots in favor of AI educational tools and an association with Middle Eastern markets like Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Why?

Napster is shedding its musical roots in favor of AI educational tools and an association with Middle Eastern markets like Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Why?

The front-facing Cox Communications brand is being retired by Charter, despite nothing really being wrong with it. Brand loyalty means nothing, apparently.

Usenet-Rewind, a new tool for digging into Usenet history, holds much potential for researchers. But seeing your old posts on Usenet is gonna feel weird.

Usenet-Rewind, a new tool for digging into Usenet history, holds much potential for researchers. But seeing your old posts on Usenet is gonna feel weird.

iLands, a new AI agent-centric startup, is spamming creatives like me numerous times a day. What do its agents want? My job. Why? They need to buy more tokens.

iLands, a new AI agent-centric startup, is spamming creatives like me numerous times a day. What do its agents want? My job. Why? They need to buy more tokens.

Matt Mullenweg just got suspended from Automattic, the company behind WordPress. Could that give WordPress room for a cultural reset?

PC manufacturers looking to have a response to the Mac Studio start soft-launching their Nvidia mini-PC plays. Should you care?

MapQuest didn’t seem like it was built for 2026. But its marketing savvy and cultural backbone might prove a useful template for legacy tech companies.

A new weekly newsletter about mini PCs kicks off with some Mac Mini thoughts, a little deal hunting, and a look at mini PC history.

What I learned from building a less-is-more self-hosted rig in the most normie way possible.

Curious about mini PCs? Sign up for this weekly newsletter from Ernie Smith, the editor of Tedium. You might get a few ideas.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Columbia House could do no wrong—it was a great way to get 12 CDs for a penny. But its business model predicted a lot of bad e-commerce.

American Greetings turned Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears into cartoon stars, proving the greeting card-to-TV pipeline was a hit.

American Greetings turned Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears into cartoon stars, proving the greeting card-to-TV pipeline was a hit.

A botched app release highlights a problem I’ve been seeing with a glut of new, vibe-coded projects in my inbox.

A botched app release highlights a problem I’ve been seeing with a glut of new, vibe-coded projects in my inbox.

A botched app release highlights a problem I’ve been seeing with a glut of new, vibe-coded projects in my inbox.

Glen Hansard’s passing reflects a subtle shift away from a famed era of earnest singer-songwriters. The culture has changed. The songs still hold up.

Glen Hansard’s passing reflects a subtle shift away from a famed era of earnest singer-songwriters. The culture has changed. The songs still hold up.

In the showdown between barcodes and manually placed price tags, the pricing gun should have lost. But states, unions, and consumer advocates kept it around.

In the showdown between barcodes and manually placed price tags, the pricing gun should have lost. But states, unions, and consumer advocates kept it around.

A handheld price gun with enough adhesive labels to mark down an entire discount store, one clack at a time.

In the showdown between barcodes and manually placed price tags, the pricing gun should have lost. But states, unions, and consumer advocates kept it around.

In the showdown between barcodes and manually placed price tags, the pricing gun should have lost. But states, unions, and consumer advocates kept it around.

Struggling to quit Facebook? Maybe it has something to do with the home row of your keyboard. Here’s how I fixed it.

Struggling to quit Facebook? Maybe it has something to do with the home row of your keyboard. Here’s how I fixed it.

Why do major highways end anticlimactically? The Romans revered boundaries as sacred, but U.S. interstates just fade out. Is it a cultural thing?

Why do major highways end anticlimactically? The Romans revered boundaries as sacred, but U.S. interstates just fade out. Is it a cultural thing?

Sony and GTA 6 are killing physical games. But EDOS, a former UK kiosk concept, shows we could still have on-demand disc burning. Bring it back!

Sony and GTA 6 are killing physical games. But EDOS, a former UK kiosk concept, shows we could still have on-demand disc burning. Bring it back!

ALF was a huge hit, but Paul Fusco’s strict rules for the character limited its long-term potential … and his career. There’s a lesson in that.

ALF was a huge hit, but Paul Fusco’s strict rules for the character limited its long-term potential … and his career. There’s a lesson in that.

ALF was a huge hit, but Paul Fusco’s strict rules for the character limited its long-term potential … and his career. There’s a lesson in that.

Old web forums were poorly coded and rough around the edges, but maybe we gave up on them too quickly in the social media era.

Old web forums were poorly coded and rough around the edges, but maybe we gave up on them too quickly in the social media era.

We spoke to Darren Blanchard, the man arrested while speaking out against data centers at a community meeting. He's sharing the bodycam footage of his arrest for the first time with 404 Media.

Apple loves vertical integration and famously hates being held up by suppliers. But it may have met its match in the RAM crisis.

Apple loves vertical integration and famously hates being held up by suppliers. But it may have met its match in the RAM crisis.

The high schooler who developed everyone’s forums and guestbooks in 1996 didn’t really think about security. But Matt’s Script Archive was more than exploits.

The high schooler who developed everyone’s forums and guestbooks in 1996 didn’t really think about security. But Matt’s Script Archive was more than exploits.