Last week’s travel means a backlog of cool stories to go through today. Here’s an extended look at what’s caught my eye on the web over the past little while.

How far back in time can you understand English? This post tells a single story, but every paragraph adopts the English used a century previous, gradually moving backwards in time. My favorite part is the very end where the writer explains how and why the language changed, which is where I learned about letters like the ‘long S’ that were once common but eventually fell out of use.

Grandson of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups inventor accuses Hershey of recipe changes. The state of chocolate-y candy is sad these days, but this article is worth it for this quote alone: “It was not edible,” Reese told The Associated Press in an interview. “You have to understand. I used to eat a Reese’s product every day. This is very devastating for me.”

Soapbox. The humble bar of soap used to define the American way. Now it’s dying. I will not let it go down without a fight. The best piece about soap you’ll read today, written with unexpected humor and hook. It had me reconsidering some of my own soap-related habits and assumptions.

DVDs are the new vinyl records: Why Gen Z is embracing physical media. Hey look, it’s me, pushing my physical media agenda yet again.

Thrifting Was about Frugality. How Did It Become All about Profit? Mixed feelings about this piece, but it’s undeniable that the era of prowling secondhand shops for weird and unusual stuff has taken a back seat to overpriced items from those seeking to hit it big on nostalgia.

Floppy Disks: the best TV remote for kids. This person built a physical remote control for his child to use while accessing YouTube. We should always encourage weird projects, especially those that approach media consumption habits from unexplored angles.