Ernie Smith

Editor of Tedium, an offbeat newsletter that’s been rocking since 2015. I complain on the internet a lot, and I accidentally made a search engine.

Support what I do here: https://ko-fi.com/tedium

Interests: #writing #news #history #technology #retrotech #weird #geoworks #freelance

Public Key

npub1mzg4ejppsvuc6j0kcgxsja2r3qna736xf5q53cx8h7p5nk8f24yq9jgcre

NIP-05 Address

ernie@writing-exchange.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsd3y2ueqscxwvdf8mvyrgfw4pcsf7lgary6q2gurrmlq6fmr542jqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43qtz9mrx

Publishing to

relay.ditto.pub

Author Public Key

npub1mzg4ejppsvuc6j0kcgxsja2r3qna736xf5q53cx8h7p5nk8f24yq9jgcre

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Last Notes

2026-04-02 17:13:34 UTC

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@nprofile…60xv in case this is something you can fix

2026-04-02 17:07:46 UTC

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Digging in, it looks like I’m not alone. Turns out there’s some bug in LinkedIn that an obscure Vivaldi feature is suddenly triggering. Which means there’s a workaround.
https://tosbourn.com/vivaldi-linkedin-bug/

2026-02-26 19:13:18 UTC

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@nprofile…00ee not sure about the waterfall but the T is legit. Supposed to be the Tedium logo.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/116/138/520/490/893/058/original/c0ff78c4fbfb726f.jpg

2026-02-26 18:39:08 UTC

Let’s see how good the image compression is on Mastodon.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/116/138/386/795/923/800/original/dac63d5d911431e4.png

2025-12-06 05:22:54 UTC

I had an idea and wanted to see if anyone has some odd magazines lying around that they might be interested in shipping off.
The idea is that I would do a periodic feature on Tedium where I review obscure and niche magazines, based on their editorial value and their design. The goal will not be to make fun of them (at least not any more than necessary) but to think through the reasons such a magazine exists and whether it meets that goal.
Here are a couple ideas:
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/115/670/946/404/237/331/original/d3dd2d32c8b46977.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/115/670/946/429/812/370/original/ad522c9b3a318f5e.webp
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/115/670/946/407/971/120/original/98b8c81c4bfb2616.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/115/670/946/418/020/109/original/be820af7ee5179cd.jpg

2025-09-10 14:20:21 UTC

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@nprofile…gdfh @nprofile…cfat (FWIW I would generally share a gift link if it was paywalled.)

2025-09-10 14:17:30 UTC

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@nprofile…gdfh @nprofile…cfat It’s not paywalled and that’s an AI rewrite.

2025-09-10 14:03:24 UTC

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FYI: This piece is on Hacker News so the search engine is a bit hit at the moment. The site loads but results don't show.

2025-09-10 10:35:11 UTC

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He technically runs two:
Traditional: https://searcha.page
Privacy-focused: https://seek.ninja
How'd he do it? With the help of a lot of AI and about a year of long nights. Very little of it is hosted on the cloud.

2025-09-10 10:34:33 UTC

About a month or two ago, I got an intriguing email with the subject line “The Laundry Room Search Engine.”
A guy built his own quite-good search engine—and yes, it's currently sitting in his laundry room. Here's how he did it:
https://www.fastcompany.com/91396271/searcha-page-seekninja-diy-search-engines
me @nprofile…cfat

2025-09-03 18:32:52 UTC

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@nprofile…lv69 Rad! Over/under on Qbasic getting a similar treatment?

2025-08-16 15:14:45 UTC

I see a path forward in the FOSS space for designers who can’t let go of Photoshop, and it involves node-based editing apps like PixiEditor and Graphite.
In fact, I might even suggest that 2D image editors are late to the party.
https://tedium.co/2025/08/16/foss-photoshop-alternatives-pixieditor-node-procedural/
new @nprofile…ae05

2025-08-14 22:06:26 UTC

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If you’re reading someone’s journalism without paying for it, but then complaining that you won’t even offer an email address, you can’t claim the ethical high ground.

2025-08-14 22:02:42 UTC

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To add: It’s especially not the case when the site you’re reading has like one ad on the entire page.

2025-08-14 22:00:24 UTC

I’m sorry, it’s not “disgusting anti-user shit” to ask for an email address in the midst of an article that you’re otherwise getting for free.

2025-08-12 02:56:09 UTC

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@nprofile…nlz9 @nprofile…ae05 I still don’t know how the hell you did it

2025-08-12 02:50:18 UTC

OK, I finally wrote about the story I accidentally helped expose to a large audience.
On AOL and dial-up, and what it means for it to go away.
https://tedium.co/2025/08/11/aol-dial-up-ending-retrospective/
new @nprofile…ae05
https://writing.exchange/@ernie/114996043264907534

2025-08-09 00:46:07 UTC

So apparently we are within the last 60 days of dial-up AOL being a thing.
https://help.aol.com/articles/dial-up-internet-to-be-discontinued
ht @nprofile…nlz9
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/996/041/743/358/570/original/41d505fca25893ec.jpg

2025-08-04 15:14:57 UTC

I had an interesting idea over the weekend: A newsletter where every single month I would attempt to recreate the same design and selection of posts on a different CMS, and explain how the process went.
I think comparing content management systems is really difficult. It might help.

2025-07-24 17:23:55 UTC

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I think a silver lining of this is that it is easy to turn off. I feel like that wouldn't have happened if the Web view wasn't being used as a popular hack to avoid AI.

2025-07-12 18:00:45 UTC

Up to over 750 sales.
https://writing.exchange/@ernie/114840420377631103

2025-06-19 13:11:15 UTC

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@nprofile…xua2 No clue, but I will note I also run udm14.com (which offers a different search view) and it hasn’t changed in more than a year

2025-06-19 03:02:37 UTC

Just learned there was a new Google udm code discovered. So you know what I had to do.
https://udm56.com/
Still kicking in on the DNS front, but it’s already up.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/707/802/045/947/965/original/ee87a29f226d3e07.png

2025-06-05 02:04:50 UTC

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@nprofile…nlz9 Libre Gumroad

2025-04-15 03:42:39 UTC

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“Microsoft seems to be requiring these people to think about their laptop for the first time in years.”
https://tedium.co/2025/04/14/windows-10-forgotten-tech-users/

2025-04-15 03:42:12 UTC

The thing that sucks about the looming Windows 10 end-of-support situation is that the people who are getting most screwed are the ones who don’t want to have to care about technology.
Not everyone should have to care about tech.
https://tedium.co/2025/04/14/windows-10-forgotten-tech-users/
new @nprofile…ae05

2025-04-09 03:12:33 UTC

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@nprofile…nlz9 I still have my G4 Mac Mini. I could easily set it up as a Photoshop machine if I’m desperate.

2025-04-09 02:56:34 UTC

Tomorrow is an important day for me. It’s the day my Adobe subscription shuts off for good. If I need to bring them back for client work I will only do it on a one-time monthly basis.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/305/754/235/719/289/original/c1d15e3d7fbb6bdb.png

2025-04-02 17:22:31 UTC

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@nprofile…e3fm I think it may not be enough for pros, but I think for people who just have a knockaround iPad it could more than fit the bill, especially with Linux or ChromeOS Flex on the device

2025-04-02 16:09:42 UTC

Framework Laptop 12 is super promising. One cool thing about this video is it shows that the screen is replaceable/potentially upgradeable as well.
Lowkey think this is an iPad replacement for a lot of people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejl-7X74tgc

2025-04-01 01:46:24 UTC

As a follow to my Severance piece from the other day: Netflix appears to have just straight-up built a proprietary media production suite for itself, soup to nuts.
https://netflixtechblog.com/globalizing-productions-with-netflixs-media-production-suite-fc3c108c0a22

2025-03-19 14:03:54 UTC

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@nprofile…nlz9 @nprofile…5jwt I’m not saying that their work isn’t worth respecting, but I look at the Krita community and it’s leaps and bounds more welcoming. Also, its frame-based animation tools are basically the only good ones I’ve found outside of Photoshop.

2025-03-19 14:02:03 UTC

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@nprofile…nlz9 @nprofile…5jwt I think the problem with it, if nailed down is that the name reflects bigger issues with the rest of the application, which is that the devs ignore end-user concerns. The name would have been changed years ago if they took those concerns seriously.

2025-03-19 01:40:26 UTC

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@nprofile…5jwt Let me just say: Sort of at the point where I refuse to use this software in part because of the name thing.
Krita fits most of my use cases, so why even give it a second of my time?

2025-03-14 18:12:38 UTC

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@nprofile…jvsx @nprofile…ae05 I appreciate that you've mostly gotten it out of your life but there are lots of other folks who need its specific services. That has been frustrating when talking about this—lots of people are just like “I got rid of this,” ignoring that Google does specific things that make it hard for some to just drop.

2025-03-14 17:44:49 UTC

Word that udm14 might be at risk of getting an infusion of AI frustrates me to no end. And if you just want Google to give you the basics, you should be frustrated, too.
https://tedium.co/2025/03/14/udm14-search-hack-google-ai-testing/
new @nprofile…ae05

2025-03-10 15:40:24 UTC

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@nprofile…4md8 Looked it up. There are no screws—it’s literally removing the glue in the bottom plate. If it just used screws it would be trivial. Very frustrating given that these are $150 input devices.

2025-03-10 14:36:40 UTC

Oh good, the battery in my magic trackpad is bulging.

2025-03-06 15:00:52 UTC

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@nprofile…5t3w I thought the Betaworks version of Digg was pretty good even if it ceded the territory of the social web to Reddit. I think, though, that if they’re betting on AI they may be betting on the wrong horse. They should be leaning into fediverse stuff instead.
That said, Rose and Ohanian are two of our more interesting startup creators so they make an interesting team.

2025-02-14 15:35:11 UTC

This is an interesting technical project: Someone created a tool that makes it possible to control a @nprofile…x0f5 instance though Claude.
The upside, if you’re cool with using AI, is that it could allow easier maintenance and personalization opportunities.
https://fanyangmeng.blog/introducing-ghost-mcp-a-model-context-protocol-server-for-ghost-cms/

2025-02-12 13:18:50 UTC

People who try to inject culture war drama into open-source projects *cough Dunluke cough* don’t deserve a moment of your time

2025-02-06 21:25:08 UTC

The Wall Street Journal’s reporting got a DOGE employee to resign.
This could have been the NYT’s territory. They lost it.
https://www.wsj.com/tech/doge-staffer-resigns-over-racist-posts-d9f11a93?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1

2024-12-25 05:45:19 UTC

Built a script that lets me know where all the broken YouTube embeds on old Tedium posts, so I can replace or remove them.
Per the script it’s a lot less than I was expecting—104.

2024-12-23 05:23:09 UTC

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@nprofile…7azx @nprofile…qz4g Also “noarchive.” It’s been specifically barred from the Internet Archive.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/700/463/384/268/267/original/c51aaa4e403009ab.png

2024-11-08 18:20:30 UTC

Have a thread popping off on Threads about the removable SSD in the Mini, and somebody brought up the T2 chip as if it was their trump card.
Hey buddy, you realize they don’t use the T2 chip in Apple Silicon Macs?

2024-11-05 04:35:22 UTC

I moved my workflow to Bazzite today just to test it out after about 10 months of doing the Nobara thing. A permanent move over this way may be forthcoming. I think what I like about it the most is the fact that a lot of stuff on the old install that was kind of janky just works in this. Battery life is a little better.
Plus, being able to install apps in BoxBuddy and then just run with them is such a good workflow for stuff you wanna isolate.

2024-10-16 23:33:19 UTC

Jason Bateman is apparently Dennis Hopper now. Kinda here for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYOW0z43hyQ

2024-10-16 18:32:59 UTC

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But what’s nice about it is that it forces the discussion that we should have been having the entire time: Is there a way to keep all this data safe in a less-centralized way?

2024-10-15 12:25:09 UTC

Some “serious journalist” tried making me feel small over the weekend. Little does he know I know that I've seen his type before. #gatekeeping
https://tedium.co/2024/10/15/journalism-gatekeeping-writing-criticism/
new @npub1pfj…v6tr

2024-10-15 06:05:46 UTC

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@npub1gcn…jxca Yes, in fact, this is somewhat embarrassing.
It took nearly a month, but he finally blinked.

2024-10-14 18:39:56 UTC

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@npub1vqw…7afe Nailed it. He doesn't need hundreds of millions of dollars.

2024-10-14 12:03:24 UTC

This looks badass.
https://tahnok.github.io/colmi_r02_client/colmi_r02_client.html

2024-10-11 20:04:35 UTC

I laughed.
https://theonion.com/travis-kelce-suffers-film-career-beginning-injury/

2024-10-09 17:23:34 UTC

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I just feel like Apple ignores its critics to its peril sometimes.

2024-10-09 16:15:07 UTC

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Whether or not you can appreciate DHH, he developed Ruby on Rails, which has been used just as widely as WordPress has. That makes him a relevant voice in this discussion.

2024-10-09 16:12:39 UTC

DHH, one of the few people who could directly call Mullenweg on his bullshit from a similar position of relevance, calls Mullenweg on his bullshit.
https://world.hey.com/dhh/automattic-is-doing-open-source-dirty-b95cf128

2024-10-07 13:36:59 UTC

Fuck racists that assume every company with a Chinese owner is a front.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/266/397/990/666/588/original/63dbcf94fde0a56e.jpg

2024-10-05 17:18:57 UTC

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@npub1hvd…9sq9 a big part of the reason is that a lot of the functionality that one expects of a traditional CMS hasn't traditionally been built in.
Hence the need for ACF.

2024-10-05 17:06:05 UTC

Clown shit
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/255/904/481/639/251/original/f12ec4f158e87cd2.jpg

2024-10-04 13:29:43 UTC

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In case you were wondering: Tedium has 856 long-form articles with animated GIFs.

2024-10-04 04:23:22 UTC

Just realized that Snow, the “Informer” guy, was more successful than I thought.

2024-10-03 06:05:49 UTC

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Because I’m insane I set up a canvas tag so that each image in the video will be clickable and will go to the correct link.

2024-10-03 00:51:01 UTC

So this is turning into something:
https://writing.exchange/@ernie/113240651765459402
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/113/240/746/109/475/141/original/a8ba0a24fe393031.png

2024-10-01 14:56:22 UTC

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It’s insane to me that Google has made a product whose mere existence puts the onus on website owners to fix its code.

2024-09-13 14:09:40 UTC

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@npub1gzl…kk4u So many different SKUs, not a visible trackpad in sight

2024-07-26 00:49:23 UTC

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@npub1lyr…k7hs TechCrunch has a story about it. https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/25/david-sacks-paul-graham-silicon-valley-names-brawl-on-x-over-vc-behavior/

2024-07-25 18:40:19 UTC

I bought the Jesse Welles album. He doesn’t have a Bandcamp. I had to buy it from Amazon.

2024-07-20 13:09:11 UTC

OK, who stars in the Crowdstrike movie?

2024-07-19 18:03:17 UTC

Southwest’s tech debt hurt it a few months ago but it seems to be doing it some favors today.
Windows 3.1 taketh away, but sometimes Windows 3.1 giveth.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/southwest-cloudstrike-windows-3-1/

2024-06-02 22:04:42 UTC

I waded through garbage to tell you a story and what do you mean you haven't read it yet
https://tedium.co/2024/06/01/daabin-bin-store-retail-ecommerce-returns/

2024-05-24 05:48:22 UTC

Hard to disagree with this take.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/2117752/google-gemini-ai.html

2024-01-19 20:57:29 UTC

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@npub1utv…87lr @npub1f7q…w93g I bought a $600 Linux tablet and got it and the company that made it went belly up three months after I got it, and I think the vision pro is just kind of silly

2023-09-07 23:34:47 UTC

It’s not at all surprising, but this sucks. https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/jimmy-fallon-tonight-show-toxic-work-environment-crying-rooms-nbc-1234819421/

2023-08-23 00:22:24 UTC

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@npub1lrv…tth9 I’ve already suggested this fediverse presence to them, so I think it’s on the way.

2023-08-22 13:38:56 UTC

A big chunk of Motherboard’s staff just went off and built their own thing.
Reader-supported tech media. Support them here: https://www.404media.co/welcome-to-404-media/

2023-08-15 20:48:13 UTC

This is really fascinating. A company rebuilt Mastodon’s core functions with a new dev technology that flies in comparison to Ruby on Rails. https://blog.redplanetlabs.com/2023/08/15/how-we-reduced-the-cost-of-building-twitter-at-twitter-scale-by-100x/
(EDIT: They may not be open sourcing the dev tech)

2023-08-12 21:27:26 UTC

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Just insane follow up to this. https://thehandbasket.substack.com/p/a-conversation-with-the-newspaper
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/110/878/759/925/574/447/original/f7ab8bb168f481ab.jpg

2023-08-12 02:14:40 UTC

Oh screw this. This is criminal.
https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/11/police-stage-chilling-raid-on-marion-county-newspaper-seizing-computers-records-and-cellphones/

2023-08-09 20:08:12 UTC

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@npub1mdk…aptk Apple should Sherlock Otter or Krisp. There is literally no reason I should have to pay a service a monthy fee to do something my M1 is capable of doing.

2023-08-09 16:50:20 UTC

Without looking it up who is this
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/110/860/685/202/111/603/original/561b606b304dd8ed.png

2023-08-04 16:21:29 UTC

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@npub1utv…87lr I’m not looking to make another CMS leap, but I am feeling the limitations of late.

2023-08-04 14:35:11 UTC

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@npub1utv…87lr I will say, side note, that Craft is not proving to be a great solution for membership/paywall long-term. Not much software has been made in that direction and it requires other software that costs lots of money.

2023-08-04 14:26:54 UTC

Tedium has long had a Patreon, but I haven’t done a ton to promote it in recent years in part because of time and management challenges.
I would like to get back into that, however. My question is: If I wanted to move somewhere else, how could I do so without losing a consistent couple hundred dollars of revenue each month?

2023-08-01 01:25:24 UTC

Cool idea. https://markwhen.com/