The hottest Tech History Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

The Secret History of Knocking on Wood

Res Obscura • 5909 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
đź’ľ History Tech History
  1. The origins of everyday gestures like knocking on wood are surprisingly hard to pin down in written records. There appear to be two related traditions—touching wood and touching iron—and the practice could be ancient or a relatively recent cultural development.
  2. Much important human knowledge is embodied and learned before literacy, so gestures, handedness, and other implicit habits shape language and moral intuitions but often go unwritten and unnoticed in text-based sources.
  3. Because current AI models are trained mainly on text, they miss bodily experience and these implicit norms; adding historical images, sounds, and simulated physical experiences could help make models more authentically human-aligned, and historians should be part of that work.

Cromemco C-10 Personal Computer

Computer Ads from the Past • 1152 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Cromemco positioned the C-10 as a compact, desk-friendly personal workstation aimed at nontechnical users. It shipped with a menu-driven CP/M-derived OS and bundled word‑processing, spreadsheet, and Structured BASIC to simplify office tasks.
  2. The machine was an 8-bit Z80 system with 64K RAM, an integrated 12‑inch high‑resolution CRT, floppy disk support, RS‑232 and printer ports, and could run much CP/M software or act as a front-end to larger Cromemco systems.
  3. Reviews praised its build quality, documentation, bundled WriteMaster, and value, but many noted early software instability, limited expandability (no bus), and weak communications support as important drawbacks.

Plus Post: IMSAI 8048 Single Board Computer

Computer Ads from the Past • 640 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. IMSAI was founded in 1973 by William Millard and the name stands for Information Management Services Association Incorporated.
  2. Millard had a background in finance and industry, worked on data storage and briefly at IBM, and earlier started a software company called System Dynamics that closed after running out of money.
  3. IMSAI began as Millard’s one-person consulting and engineering firm run from his home, then added staff and expanded from software contracts into hardware work as projects grew.

Manufactured Inevitability and the Need for Courage

The Convivial Society • 3308 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Technological inevitability is a myth; there are real choices about which technologies are adopted and many alternative paths get ignored.
  2. Powerful actors often manufacture inevitability by normalizing and mandating AI, which shifts responsibility away from those who shape technology.
  3. Ordinary civil courage is needed: people and professionals must make moral choices and resist pressure to accept technologies as unavoidable.

The Woz Plan

UnfairNation by Ehsan Zaffar • 4 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Wozniak gave about 80 early employees 2,000 of his own Apple shares each at $5 a share, which helped many of them become millionaires and buy homes or pay for college.
  2. He knowingly gave up what would have been an enormous personal fortune to prioritize fairness and support for his team instead of maximizing his own wealth.
  3. Woz’s generosity stands in sharp contrast to how many modern tech billionaires hoard equity, and his approach is a leadership model worth celebrating and emulating.
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You Can't Make Me Vibecode

The Future, Now and Then • 193 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Tools like Claude Code that let people "vibecode" can be revolutionary for coders and startups, but that revolution will likely stay inside the tech world rather than making everyone want to code.
  2. The Linux/open-source story shows a technology can dominate infrastructure without changing most people’s everyday relationship with their devices — many users prefer convenience to empowerment.
  3. Because lots of people don’t want a coder’s relationship with software, mass adoption of agentic coding is uncertain and the economic case depends on reaching beyond enthusiastic early adopters.

Vote for the January 2026 + Post Topic

Computer Ads from the Past • 384 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. A poll is open for plus subscribers to choose the January 2026 post topic, so readers can vote on what gets written next.
  2. The three candidate topics focus on vintage computing: a mouse, a CP/M helper program, and a flight simulator.
  3. Each option is shown with scans from old magazines, and more related articles are planned to follow soon.

From Bronze Swords to AI Drones

Erik Examines • 268 implied HN points • 01 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Big tech changes usually come from scarcity and substitution, not sudden eureka moments; people switch to less-desirable options when preferred resources run out.
  2. Local resources and political conditions shape how technologies evolve, so different places develop different methods and tools rather than a single global path.
  3. Necessity drives repeated practice and experimentation, which gradually improves initially inferior technologies until they overtake older ones.

History of the Graphical User Interface: The Rise (and Fall?) of WIMP Design

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 48 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. The GUI became powerful by combining windows, icons, menus, and pointers into a direct-manipulation workspace that made computers far easier to learn and use.
  2. AI-driven Generative UI and interactive world models are shifting interaction from fixed menus to intent-based, probabilistic interfaces that cut navigation work but introduce articulation, predictability, and trust trade-offs.
  3. The likely future is hybrid: traditional WIMP elements will remain for precision and accountability while generative interfaces handle exploration, so designers must balance adaptability with discoverability and user control.

AI Can't Automate You Out of a Job Because You Have Plot Armor

The Algorithmic Bridge • 297 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Technological advances like AI change how work is done but don't permanently erase jobs; the labor market adapts and creates new roles.
  2. Workers have a kind of "plot armor"—institutional protections, shifting demand, and human tasks machines can't fully replace help preserve employment.
  3. History shows each automation wave reorganizes jobs rather than eliminates employment, so the constant through revolutions is that people keep working in new ways.

My uncle got rich in the dot com bubble

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 3791 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Tech History
  1. The dot-com bubble created a frenzy of investment in tech companies, making many people, like Uncle Paul, very wealthy. This time saw the rise of big names like Amazon and eBay, which changed how we shop.
  2. The excitement of the early internet promised a bright future where anyone could succeed, but the reality was that only a few became rich. Most people couldn't keep up with the fast changes and competition.
  3. The aftermath of the dot-com bubble led to many losses and a stark realization: wealth isn't guaranteed for everyone. Technology reshaped society, but it also introduced new issues like homelessness and inequality in places like California.

Looking Back at 2024

The Asianometry Newsletter • 3637 implied HN points • 31 Dec 24
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. The channel enjoyed a lot of growth in 2024, hitting impressive milestones with over 100 million lifetime views. It's amazing to think so many people watched the videos.
  2. Some favorite videos included stories about Nisei interpreters and Texas Instruments, which are rich in history and technology. These stories really resonate and are fun to tell.
  3. There are plans for 2025 to explore a mix of semiconductor topics and new themes to keep things fresh and engaging. It's all about balancing work and passion.

Thinking About AI, Before AI Disappears

Technohumanism • 79 implied HN points • 25 Jul 24
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. AI is changing our lives quickly and soon we'll take it for granted just like we do with other technologies, such as smartphones and electric lights.
  2. Every major technology has influenced how we think and see the world, and AI is likely to do the same by altering our realities in ways we can't fully understand yet.
  3. While there are valid concerns about AI impacting jobs or privacy, people seem to overlook the huge changes in human consciousness that such technologies bring.

The Future, Now and Then: 2025 in review

The Future, Now and Then • 82 implied HN points • 29 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. This year’s writing moved from long, idea-driven essays to shorter, immediate pieces, with a clear intention to take bigger swings and return to deeper work next year.
  2. Silicon Valley is powered by three kinds of money—government contracts, product revenue, and speculative finance—and an overreliance on speculation warps incentives and creates bubble risk that can hide weak fundamentals.
  3. Big techno-utopian projects often ignore political and institutional veto points, so grand visions like abundance or network-states tend to be undercooked and clash with real-world constraints.

Tech Tree Updates and Similar Projects

Atlas of Wonders and Monsters • 305 implied HN points • 28 Jul 25
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. The Historical Tech Tree has gained popularity, attracting over 50,000 visitors, and is being actively improved with new features and technologies.
  2. Community engagement is key to the project's future, so a Discord server has been created for fans to connect and contribute.
  3. There are several other interesting tech history projects, highlighting a recent surge in visualizations and analyses of technology's evolution.

This New Internet Thing, Chapter 31

Life Since the Baby Boom • 691 implied HN points • 19 Dec 24
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Cassie at Palm is excited about a new product called Touchdown but worries about funding for its launch. They found a partner to help manufacture it, which is a positive step.
  2. Len's career is taking a turn after Netscape's success, leading him to a possible job managing a new Internet-focused mutual fund. He’s starting to realize he enjoys this direction more than retirement.
  3. The bond between Len and his daughter Janet grows as they navigate their new potential successes together. Both are starting to embrace a more ambitious and wealthy future.

Steve Jobs vs. the Haters

Litverse • 219 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. In 1997, Steve Jobs made strategic decisions for Apple that were heavily criticized, such as discontinuing OpenDoc and embracing a closed system approach.
  2. Jobs believed in prioritizing user experience over technology, leading to the success of Apple products despite criticism from early tech adopters.
  3. The essence of successful products lies in making life better through simplicity and providing a seamless, convenient user experience, as shown by Jobs' approach with Apple.

VenturCom's VENIX

Computer Ads from the Past • 384 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. VenturCom was founded in 1980 and worked on various projects including Venix, Windows NT, and Windows CE. They later changed their name to Ardence, which was acquired by Citrix Systems before becoming IntervalZero.
  2. Venix was one of the first UNIX systems for IBM PCs, based on Version 7 Unix with enhancements. It had different versions released over the years and received feedback on pricing, performance, and features compared to other similar systems like Xenix.
  3. Reviews from publications like PC Magazine and Dr. Dobb's Journal praised Venix's compatibility with System V Unix, while also highlighting areas for improvement like bugs, DOS interface, and third-party software support.

The Ghost in the Machine: How I learned to stop worrying and love the AI

Experiments with NLP and GPT-3 • 7 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Don’t treat AI as a job-stealer but as a coworker; see it as augmentation that can take over repetitive tasks so people can focus on strategy, creativity, and emotional work.
  2. History shows resisting big technological shifts costs you — the industrial-era reluctance led to missed opportunities, and the AI change is much faster so adapting quickly is essential.
  3. Adoption fails when workers aren’t trained or are afraid, so companies must teach new workflows and treat AI like a fast, naive junior who needs clear instructions to be truly useful.

Meet the Reboot Editorial Board

Reboot • 22 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
đź•ą Technology Tech History
  1. Reboot has introduced 6 new people to its editorial board
  2. The new board members come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wide range of expertise to Reboot
  3. Each new member shared a bit about themselves and their interests in tech and writing