Author: Michael Mardings
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The First Computer “Bug” Was a Real Moth—but the Word Was Already Old
A moth really did jam a Harvard computer relay in 1947. The famous logbook survived—but “bug” had described machine faults for decades.
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Shark Ancestors Were Swimming Before the First Known Trees Grew
Confirmed shark scales date to about 420 million years ago, while trees arose in the Middle Devonian tens of millions of years later.
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Manhattan Rats Really Do Have Uptown and Downtown Clusters
A study of 262 Manhattan rats using 61,401 genetic markers found distinct Uptown and Downtown clusters, with reduced dispersal through parts of Midtown.
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The Kohl’s Amazon Return Line Is Convenience Fighting Itself
Kohl’s makes eligible Amazon returns easy—until the line is 20 people deep. Here’s the current process and why I still complain while using it.
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Mini Golf Is Golf After a Nervous Breakdown
I hate mini golf. Here are 10 reasons: the price, scorecards, waiting, tiny pencils, endless holes and the deeply threatening possibility of winning another round.
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Scientists Studied Elevator Behavior. No, the Corners Aren’t Sacred.
Researchers really have studied elevator behavior. A 1983 paper focused on eye contact; newer TalTech research found solo riders often preferred the middle.
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Why Did Letterkenny End? No, It Wasn’t Canceled for Shoresy.
Letterkenny ended after 12 seasons because creator Jared Keeso decided the show had done what it could do. Shoresy was the next project, not the stated…
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British vs. American Dates: Apparently Even the Calendar Needed a Fight
Americans commonly write dates month/day/year; British style uses day/month/year. Here’s why 04/07 can become an international scheduling trap.
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Grand Central’s Whispering Gallery Works. Yes, I Whispered Into the Wall.
Grand Central Terminal’s Whispering Gallery really works. Here’s where to find it, how the Guastavino-tile acoustic trick works, and what happened when I tried it.
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Those Viral Chinese Factory TikToks About Luxury Brands Needed a Fact Check
Viral 2025 TikToks claimed Chinese factories made authentic luxury goods that shoppers could buy direct for a fraction of retail. The videos were real; the sweeping…