Archive - The Magnet

The Longest-Running Vaporware Project in the History of Computing

Gary Wolf's 1995 Wired profile of Ted Nelson is still one of the great pieces of tech journalism — and Nelson is still furious about it.

Apr 2

March 2026

Jet-Lagged in Lisbon with a Metal Puzzle in My Pocket

Hidden reservoir, a murder mystery that sent me to Liszt, molten glass, a $13 drawing app, and a puzzle I'll probably never solve

Mar 26

February 2026

The Art of Not Looking Where You're Told

A walking exercise that turned Lisbon's sidewalks into a wilderness

Feb 21

January 2026

I’ve Been Playing Wizardry for 43 Years. I Made My Own Mapping Tool

Vibe Coding a Dungeon Mapper for the Grandfather of RPGs

Jan 31

Misanthropologie: Anthropologie Screwed Up Twice, Then Threatened to Ban Me

In December 2024, I ordered Flannel Jogger Pants from Anthropologie as a Christmas gift for my wife.

Jan 12

October 2025

The Magnet 107: Four More Travel Essentials

Concave mirror, antibiotics, earwax disolver, hydrogen peroxide

Oct 28, 2025

The Magnet 106: Seven Travel Essentials

Things I always take along on trips

Oct 27, 2025

September 2025

The Magnet 105: Some Rocks Contain Messages from Ancient Civilizations

An unsolved art heist, anti-evolution monkeys, calming technique, and rock messages from ancient beings

Sep 12, 2025

June 2025

The Magnet 104: Little Hollows

How to make cavatelli: a simple fresh pasta

Jun 1, 2025

May 2025

The Magnet 103: The Archive of Illustrated Misogyny

When postcards weaponized humor against women

May 25, 2025

April 2025

The Magnet 102: Problematical Recreations

...at one Problematic Problematical Recreation

Apr 14, 2025

The Magnet 101: Spanish Grotesque

Bosch's mysterious masterpiece and Spain's spin on the grotesque

Apr 10, 2025