A deep look at how renewed interest in Neopets and virtual-pet culture is influencing contemporary game design - from core mechanics and monetization to community-driven preservation and ethical considerations.
Microsoft Encarta was one of the first mass-market digital encyclopedias - a 1990s multimedia marvel that transformed home and classroom learning. This post traces Encarta’s origins, its innovations, the factors behind its decline, and the lessons it leaves for today’s information ecosystem.
A look back at how classic versions of Windows Media Player helped move music from discs to digital libraries, the nostalgic features that hooked users, and what today’s streaming platforms could borrow to create richer, more personal listening experiences.
From R2-D2’s resourceful chirps to Data’s quiet quest for personhood, robots of the 1980s and 1990s shaped how we imagine and interact with artificial intelligence today. This essay traces the archetypes, design cues, ethical debates and research questions those mechanical characters cast forward - and how their mechanical shadows still inform modern robotics, AI policy and popular expectations.
From thrift-store hunts to TikTok aesthetics, VHS tapes are enjoying a surprising revival. This article explores why analog video is back in vogue, featuring interviews with collectors and artists, the influence of nostalgia-driven entertainment, and practical tips for joining the VHS renaissance.
A look back at Windows Write - the simple word processor bundled with early Windows - its role in shaping user expectations, file formats and UI patterns, and why it still sparks nostalgia among early PC users.
A surprising wave of millennials are rediscovering the Discman. This article explores the cultural forces - nostalgia, resistance to streaming, tactile ritual and aesthetic - driving the portable CD player’s comeback and what it tells us about music, memory and attention in the digital age.
USB-C's ubiquity and improved bus performance have helped reframe portable CD/DVD drives from obsolete peripherals into handy tools for archivists, creatives, and retro enthusiasts. This article explores the technical reasons behind the comeback, real-world use cases, interviews with enthusiasts, and practical buying and care tips.