The only thing better than remembering the past is reliving it.

Yellowcard released an acoustic version of Ocean Avenue last year to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the original release. Then they went on tour to promote, starting at the TLA. That was such a great idea that The Ataris launched a ten year “reunion” tour for So Long, Astoria (skipping the album part), which eventually came to TLA as well. Both shows were fun, in part for the same reason: they played the band’s breakout hit(s) in album sequence, instead of saving them for the encore. They didn’t play any new or old songs I didn’t like, or didn’t expect. Predictably enjoyable, enjoyably predictable. On a personal level, these two albums recapture the past in a way that VNV Nation albums like Futureperfect don’t. Then again, VNV Nation didn’t peak ten years ago (though Welcome the Night is great too).

The Veronica Mars movie is out. It’s good. Or as good as I’d expect three quality TV episodes rolled together to be. One unanswered question is why a movie that’s basically a long in joke for fans starts off with a five minute recap of the TV series. Is anybody watching this movie going to need it? Spoiler alert: Veronica attends her ten year high school reunion, even though she only graduated eight years ago.

Also getting in on the dust off a previous release action is Square. The Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is out. Just like before, only better. A limited amount of additional detail was added to most models, except for the eyes. For some reason, they really stand out. I guess it’s easier to dial the detail up to eleven when it’s just a circle. (I haven’t yet decided when to shut out the world to explore the new features.)

How Gmail Happened: The Inside Story of Its Launch 10 Years Ago. Good read. “In the end, Gmail ended up running on three hundred old Pentium III computers nobody else at Google wanted.”

Incidentally, my initial most productive period as an OpenBSD developer ended about ten years ago. Coincidentally, my college ten year reunion is this year.

Bonus twenty year reunion: An Oral History of Netscape.