Tedium: The Dull Side Of The Internet

In case you missed it, I built a simple paywall stack that I think any creator could use.

if you’d like to try it, sign up for the $3 tier at ko-fi.com/tedium

The Art Of The Minimal Paywall What’s the least you can do to build an effective paywall for creators that’s mostly open-source? If we can figure that out, that might help lots of creators.

How I made a very light paywall using the most minimal of parts.

tedium.co/2026/03/08/m...

new @tedium.co

Pay attention Substackers.

The Art Of The Minimal Paywall What’s the least you can do to build an effective paywall for creators that’s mostly open-source? If we can figure that out, that might help lots of creators.

What’s the least you can do to build an effective paywall for creators that’s mostly open-source? If we can figure that out, that might make it easier to cut out the big platforms. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17295750/minimal-paywall-setup-idea

The Case For Making A Bet Against Substack I once turned down Substack because of their design limitations. As they emerge yet again in the news cycle, I thought I’d make my point about them via design.

I once turned down Substack because of their design limitations. As they emerge yet again in the news cycle, I thought I’d make my point with some of that design stuff they don’t do. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17288375/betting-against-substack

Why Email Spam Looks Better Than Usual These Days The problem with making coding easier for more people is that it makes spam more conventionally attractive. Which is bad.

The problem with making coding easier for more people is that it makes spam more conventionally attractive. Which is bad. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17283566/vibe-coded-email-spam

Why Email Spam Looks Better Than Usual These Days The problem with making coding easier for more people is that it makes spam more conventionally attractive. Which is bad.

More spam looks attractive on a surface level—which we can credit vibe coding for. Good luck with not getting hacked!

tedium.co/2026/02/25/v...

The Great Markdown Rebranding Of 2026 For some reason, a bunch of big companies are really leaning into Markdown right now. AI may be the reason, but I kind of love the possible side benefits.

Old news: 2026 is the year of Linux desktop
New hotness: 2026 is the year of the Markdown website

tedium.co/2026/02/17/m...

The Great Markdown Rebranding Of 2026 For some reason, a bunch of big companies are really leaning into Markdown right now. AI may be the reason, but I kind of love the possible side benefits.

For some reason, a bunch of big companies are really leaning into Markdown right now. AI may be the reason, but I kind of love the possible side benefits. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17278321/markdown-growing-influence-cloudflare-ai

Do Companies Really Give Their Layoffs Nicknames? Why do corporate restructuring plans get code names the way operating systems do? And why are the names often so bizarre?

Why do corporate restructuring plans get code names the way operating systems do? And why are the names often so bizarre? https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17277502/corporate-turnaround-code-names-history

Do Companies Really Give Their Layoffs Nicknames? Why do corporate restructuring plans get code names the way operating systems do? And why are the names often so bizarre?

Why companies sometimes give their restructuring efforts clever code names.

tedium.co/2026/02/16/c...

Technically, You Don’t Need A GUI To Design Stuff Design is perhaps the software paradigm most wedded to the mouse and the GUI. But there’s no reason it can’t be text-driven.

I’ve had a weird thought lately: For the past 40 years we’ve been completely wedded to the GUI to do graphic design work. What if, at least in some cases, we’re better off in a terminal, or a text editor?

Let’s follow that thought monster through:

tedium.co/2026/02/14/t...

new @tedium.co

Technically, You Don’t Need A GUI To Design Stuff Design is perhaps the software paradigm most wedded to the mouse and the GUI. But there’s no reason it can’t be text-driven.

Design is perhaps the software paradigm most wedded to the mouse and the GUI. But there’s no reason it can’t be text-driven. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17276365/text-based-design-mindset

Layoffs In Journalism Are Common. The Post Is Different. Mass layoffs are a fact of life in journalism. Your favorite writers and editors have dealt with them. But they weren’t supposed to happen at The Post.

Mass layoffs are a fact of life in journalism. Your favorite writers and editors have dealt with them. But they weren’t supposed to happen at The Post. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17272194/washington-post-layoffs-perspective

Layoffs In Journalism Are Common. The Post Is Different. Mass layoffs are a fact of life in journalism. Your favorite writers and editors have dealt with them. But they weren’t supposed to happen at The Post.

A mass newspaper layoff, and the chaos it brings. tedium.co/2026/02/07/w...

The Manhattan Townhouse That Quietly Reshaped Literature There are no plaques saying so, but a small but significant moment in the history of 20th-century American literature. Here’s what its story says about history.

You know what makes me happy? Publishing a piece by @andrewegan.bsky.social—who I haven’t had on the site in three freaking years! He’s got a great story about the plaques that show up around NYC—and the townhouse that doesn’t have one, but probably should.

tedium.co/2026/02/06/n...

New @tedium.co

The Manhattan Townhouse That Quietly Reshaped Literature There are no plaques saying so, but a small but significant moment in the history of 20th-century American literature. Here’s what its story says about history.

Sometimes consequential places might be hiding right under your nose—no plaques in sight.

tedium.co/2026/02/06/n...

The Manhattan Townhouse That Quietly Reshaped Literature There are no plaques saying so, but a small but significant moment in the history of 20th-century American literature. Here’s what its story says about history.

A mostly unknown townhouse in Manhattan was the site of a small but significant moment in the history of 20th-century American literature. It also gives insight into how modern society defines its history. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17271801/new-york-plaques-historic-moments

Been doing some server optimizations this AM so in case udm14 or Tedium have been a bit slow, that’s why. I think I got it fixed but give a shout in case you’re still having an issue.

A screenshot of DankMaterialShell

It took a while, but scrolling window managers are finally
having a moment.

Today's @tedium.co talks about how the form has evolved from
PaperWM to Niri, and how setups like DankMaterialShell
might make it more approachable for folks sick of GNOME or
KDE.

tedium.co/2026/01/29/n...

The Dank Case For Scrolling Window Managers My favorite UX metaphor, the scrolling window manager, is having a moment thanks to innovations like Niri and Dank Linux.

My favorite UX metaphor, the scrolling window manager, is having a moment—and it’s for pretty dank reasons. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17266116/niri-danklinux-scrolling-window-managers

You asked: “Why did the bottom piece on two-liter bottles go away?”

Hey all, back at the @tedium.co commissioned search game—it’s been too long!

Our current one comes from Amandeep Jutla, who has a question about two-liter plastic bottles. [thread]

OnePlus Isn’t Dead, But T-Mobile’s Salespeople Think They Are Rumors of OnePlus’ possible death are heating up. It’s not true, but certainly the brand is not operating from a position of strength.

OnePlus isn’t dead, but they’re not exactly functioning from a position of strength.

tedium.co/2026/01/22/o...

OnePlus Isn’t Dead, But T-Mobile’s Salespeople Think They Are Rumors of OnePlus’ possible death are heating up. It’s not true, but certainly the brand is not operating from a position of strength.

Recent news about the OnePlus brand has freaked out some of its longtime users.

Certainly it didn’t help that when I went to a T-Mobile store recently, the salesperson didn’t know what OnePlus was, despite the fact her store used to sell them.

tedium.co/2026/01/22/o...

new @tedium.co

OnePlus Isn’t Dead, But T-Mobile’s Salespeople Think They Are Rumors of OnePlus’ possible death are heating up. It’s not true, but certainly the brand is not operating from a position of strength.

Rumors of OnePlus’ possible death are heating up, which would be a real shame, given how much the smartphone market has already contracted. It’s not true, but their grip is slipping. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17261173/oneplus-decline-shutdown-rumors-commentary

OnePlus Isn’t Dead, But T-Mobile’s Salespeople Think They Are Rumors of OnePlus’ possible death are heating up. It’s not true, but certainly the brand is not operating from a position of strength.

OnePlus isn’t dead, but they’re not exactly functioning from a position of strength.

tedium.co/2026/01/22/o...

Bubbling Under Hot 100 History: Billboard’s Chart Overhang The tale of the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, the place where wannabe hits go to die—in some cases, over and over again.

Not every song has the juice to reach the Hot 100. Here’s what happens to the songs that don’t:

tedium.co/2026/01/19/b...

Bubbling Under Hot 100 History: Billboard’s Chart Overhang The tale of the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, the place where wannabe hits go to die—in some cases, over and over again.

We talk endlessly about the Billboard Hot 100, but there aren’t many articles doing an in-depth analysis of the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100—the chart for the songs not popular enough to chart. That’s where I come in.

tedium.co/2026/01/19/b...

new @tedium.co

Bubbling Under Hot 100 History: Billboard’s Chart Overhang The tale of the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, the place where wannabe hits go to die—in some cases, over and over again.

The tale of the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, the place where hits go to die—in some cases, over and over again. Let’s talk about the chart through the lens of its two most iconic artists. https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/17256459/billboard-bubbling-under-hot-100-chart-history

Bubbling Under Hot 100 History: Billboard’s Chart Overhang The tale of the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, the place where wannabe hits go to die—in some cases, over and over again.

Not every song has the juice to reach the Hot 100. Here’s what happens to the songs that don’t:

tedium.co/2026/01/19/b...