Tech
The history and quiet ideas behind the machines.
The Mac's First Fonts Were Almost Named After Train Stops
A fine artist, not a programmer, defined what a friendly computer looked like, and nearly named its fonts after Philadelphia train stops.
The Internet's First Word Was an Accident
The plan was to type LOGIN. The system crashed after two letters, and the internet's first message became "LO" instead.
The Demo That Invented Half the Things on Your Desk
In 90 minutes in 1968, one presentation showed off the mouse, hypertext, video conferencing, and word processing — decades before any of it was normal.
The First Computer Bug Was an Actual Bug
In 1947, a team debugging the Harvard Mark II found the problem: a moth, jammed in a relay.
Tech
Listicle
5 Everyday Words Computing Took Over
Spam, cookies, avatars, and trolls all meant something completely different before computers got hold of them.