Month: December 2021

A popularity contest

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(Last updated 10:49 am CST February 8th, 2022)Who is the most popular fictional character of all time? And how do you measure that popularity? Gene Park, who writes about video games and game culture for the Washington Post, said on Twitter that it’s “arguably” Spider-man. I replied, asking him what he based that on, and suggesting it maybe it’s James Bond, given the books and the longevity of that film franchise. Now, neither of us had done any research, and I was just throwing Bond out there as an example. But I apparently stepped on a fanboy landmine in the … Read more

Iconic Houston store Electronic Parts Outlet struggles in ‘survival mode’

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In Houston, the go-to place to snag hard-to-find electronic components has long been Electronic Parts Outlet. Founded in the mid-1980s, it’s legendary for its parts selection and for its inventory of vintage, even antique, tech. When I set out to do a story about it for the Houston Chronicle, I was amazed that no other media outlet had really covered it in depth. And since I’ve been covering tech in Houston since the early 1990s, a big part of that is my fault. I’m happy to correct that oversight with a story posted online today and scheduled to appear in … Read more