409 article(s)
A forgotten web appliance from 2000, the Compaq iPAQ IA-2, is brought back to life running Windows 98 through a clever series of hardware hacks. Learn how its retro limitations were overcome—and why it still matters.
In the late 1990s, free dial-up Internet promised to democratize the web. Discover how ad-supported ISPs soared, stumbled, and ultimately vanished with the rise of broadband.
Heated chambers were thought to prevent brittleness in carbon fiber and glass fiber 3D printing filaments. But recent tests show the opposite: heat may worsen filament snapping, debunking a major community belief.
Discover how to grow giant sugar crystals using kitchen chemistry. This investigative feature reveals the secrets, challenges, and science behind transforming simple sugar into dazzling crystalline structures.
A pristine 1985 Soviet insulation tester is put to the test, exposing both its enduring craftsmanship and unresolved mysteries. Dive into the quirks of Cold War technology and the challenges of reviving analog relics.
A new open-source SDK is bringing NASM-style assembly to classic 8-bit computers, uniting old architectures under a modern, familiar syntax and sparking a fresh wave of retrocoding innovation.
'Moonbase 3' set out to make lunar life believable, but in doing so, it exposed the perils of making sci-fi too close to reality. Discover the show’s lost legacy and its lessons for future space fiction.
A forgotten code from a 1993 Japanese magazine has been resurrected, allowing the Sharp PC-E500 pocket computer to produce polyphonic chiptunes for the first time. Dive into the story of digital archeology, retro music hacking, and the enduring spirit of the hobbyist scene.
Before microchips, cars relied on mechanical voltage regulators—ingenious devices of coils and relays—to control their electrical systems. Discover how these analog marvels worked and why they still intrigue classic car enthusiasts and hackers alike.
When Lego left bridges out of its train sets, one enthusiast turned to 3D printing to fill the void—uncovering the hidden engineering challenges and creative solutions behind custom Lego-compatible train bridges.