I've started reading Gizmodo again after its extended absence from my RSS list (not out of ill will, just boredom). A substantial chunk of the site has evolved into a melange of Lego idolatry, Star Wars references, and unceasing repetition of the phrase “pew pew!” which I gather is supposed to be cute. I may be getting too old for this s***.

Amid the chaff, though, is Matt Buchanan’s superb feature “Giz Explains.” Each week, Buchanan selects a technology topic and writes a readable, pithy primer about it for Gizmodo readers. It’s a simple idea, yet Buchanan pulls it off so well that I’m always left impressed. The clever thing about the pieces is that they are accessible to a novice audience but still useful for the experts. I’m familiar with the various battery types—lithium ion, lithium polymer, nickel metal hydride, etc.—but it sure is nice to have all the wisdom on battery tech in one place.

Buchanan’s Illustrated Guide to Every Stupid Cable You Need was a tour de force, and his rundown of words we use to describe tiny laptops was a needed dose of terminological sanity.

Gadget blogs have a tendency to go native and drown themselves in a sea of acronyms and meaningless marketing-speak. I doff my hat to Buchanan for writing about gadgetry in plain English.