Scotty H created this spectrographic animation of a classic dial-up modem's startup noise. Here's a breakdown, by Oona Räisänen, of what each section concerns:
Modem noise spectrogram
The sounds of (old) computer games loading
In the 8-bit age, data screeched slowly off tape decks. In the 16-bit era, floppy drives whirred, clinked and chunked according to the peculiarities of the system's disk controller. For the BBC's "Boring Talks"—podcasts about things most people would find boring—journalist Keith Stuart remembers. If you're never heard these sounds before, you're in for a… READ THE REST
This STAR WARS visual timeline compared to real world years is blowing my mind
Twitter user Rik Villanueva of the Jammed Transmissions Star Wars podcast posted this, and it's absolutely blowing my mind. In other words: the Star Wars saga (or at least, the Skywalker saga) is basically just the lifespan of a Baby Boomer. In some ways, this makes the radical changes in that universe (people just forgot… READ THE REST
Internet Archive turns on Flash emulation, already has 1000 items to check out
Adobe Flash was the language of choice for a generation of game developers, helping kickstart an indie revolution on the still-young web of the 1990s and 2000s. But it withered on the proprietary and insecure vine, and both web browsers and Adobe have now canned it, threatening countless games and interactive presentations with the memory… READ THE REST
This honeycomb-patterned gel cushion could be the answer to that nagging back pain
None of us are getting any younger. And while the ravages of time work differently on everyone, there seems to be one area where everyone from seniors down to the way-too-young start feeling discomfort first. Oh, that aching back. A lot of that may have to do with how many of us spend huge portions… READ THE REST
This training can help you jump into WordPress and find web success immediately
Sony, Variety, MTV, and The New York Times are on board. The Rolling Stones, Snoop Dogg, and Katy Perry too. Mercedes-Benz, Disney, and yes, even Star Wars. They're all instantly recognizable brands that use WordPress as the engine to run their iconic website locations. It's no exaggeration to call WordPress the engine that runs the… READ THE REST
The Allin1E Smoking Tool gathers all your smoking needs in one ultra-portable travel set
To be clear, cigarettes are not illegal. But if you're a smoker in America, it can probably often almost feel that way. Anyone carrying a lighter or the visible bulge of a cigarette pack tucked in a shirt pocket is all but guaranteed to get some side-eye in 2020. But hey, we've all got our… READ THE REST