A Successful Failure: The TI-99/4A Turns 40 In June 1981, Texas Instruments released the TI-99/4A, a 16-bit home computer and gaming platform that became a huge cultural success in America after selling 2.8 million units, although it resulted in a business loss for TI. Forty years later, here’s what made it special.
Read moreWhat is Microsoft Editor and What Can It Do For You? Wondering what exactly Microsoft Editor is and how it can help you? Here are the features, availability, and how to use this writing tool.
Read moreWhat Is Twitter Blue, and Is It Worth $3 a Month? Paying to use social media? That might seem crazy, but that’s the idea of “Twitter Blue.” For $3 per month, you get additional features that aren’t available to free users. Is it really worth it? Let’s find out.
Read moreWhat Is Aspect Ratio? You might have come across the term “aspect ratio” while shopping for a new computer monitor or looking up a film on IMDb. The term is used extensively throughout the video and photography world. At its core, aspect ratio is a simple mathematical concept.
Read moreWhat Is Shareware, and Why Was It So Popular in the 1990s? It’s a crazy idea: Give your software away for free and hope that people like it enough to send you money. That was the idea behind shareware, a popular commercial software model in the 1980s and 1990s. Here’s what made it unique and successful at the time.
Read moreWhat Is Amazon Sidewalk, and Should You Disable It? On June 8, 2021, most Amazon smart home devices—as well as certain other connected gadgets—will become part of a nationwide network called Sidewalk. Here’s what you need to know, and how to opt out if you choose to.
Read moreWhat Are Teletypes, and Why Were They Used with Computers? For a few decades, many computer system operators used devices called teletypes to interact with computers using a typewriter-style keyboard and output printed on spools of paper. Here’s why.
Read moreWhat Is Twitter Spaces, and Is It Different From Clubhouse? Social media websites tend to follow trends and reproduce popular features. You’ve probably noticed they all have “Stories” now. If you use Twitter, you may have noticed another new thing called “Spaces.” What are Twitter Spaces and should you care about them?
Read moreDo ISPs Track and Sell Your Browsing Data? When you’re shopping for a VPN or otherwise looking into your privacy, you’ll quickly run into claims that your internet service provider is collecting your data and selling it. Is that even true, though? What are the rules that govern what ISPs can and cannot do with your data?
Read moreThe First PC to Sell Millions: Commodore VIC-20 Turns 40 In 1981, Commodore released the VIC-20, a low-cost mass-market home computer that served up great video games and taught a generation of kids how to program. It sold millions of units and inspired a generation of programmers. Here’s what made it special.
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