Nerd Culture Blog: Gaming, Sci-Fi & Internet Lore

Name	Category	Origin	Purpose	Storage Duration
act	Required	.facebook.com	Used to distinguish between two Facebook sessions for the same user, created at different times.	Session
c_user	Required	.facebook.com	The Facebook user ID of the currently logged-in user.	90 days
fblo_	Required	nerdspot.events	Used to log in users via Facebook.	6 months
fbm_	Required	nerdspot.events	Used to log in users via Facebook.	3 months
user-is-logged-in	Required	nerdspot.events	Saves that the user is/was logged in.	31536000 seconds
LF9x	Required	nerdspot.events	Unique ID that identifies the user's session.	14000 seconds
datr	Marketing	.facebook.com	Used to identify the web browser used to connect to Facebook regardless of the user logged in.	2 years
_fbp	Marketing	.facebook.com	Used by Facebook to display a range of advertising products, such as real-time bids from third party advertisers.	3 months
fr	Marketing	.facebook.com	Used to show and measure ads and improve the relevance of ads (including measurement of conversions). Determines the relevance of ads based on site behavior and/or current search queries.	3 months
sb	Marketing	.facebook.com	Used to show and measure ads and improve the relevance of ads (including measurement of conversions). Determines the relevance of ads based on site behavior and/or current search queries.	2 years
spin	Marketing	.facebook.com	Set by Facebook at login - exact usage unknown.	25 hours
	Marketing	nerdspot.events	Used to collect consent for tracking the user ID in Matomo. No cookie is set.
	Marketing	nerdspot.events	Used to collect consent for tracking the user email in Matomo. No cookie is set.
wd	Statistics	.facebook.com	This cookie stores the dimensions of the browser window and is used by Facebook to optimize the display of the page.	7 days
_GRECAPTCHA	Statistics	https://www.google.com	Cookie set by Google reCAPTCHA to protect the site from spam by bots.	180 days
mtm_consent	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to remember that consent was given by the user.	Unlimited
_pk_cvar.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to temporarily store data for the visit.	30 minutes
_pk_hsr.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to temporarily store data for the visit.	30 minutes
_pk_id.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to store details about the user (e.g. a unique visitor ID)	13 months
matomo_ignore	Statistics	stats.pcsg-server.de	Flags the user as ignored from tracking.	Unlimited
_pk_ref.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to store the attribution information (e.g. the referrer initially used to visit the website).	6 months
_pk_ses.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to temporarily store data for the visit.	30 minutes
MATOMO_SESSID	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Created when opt-out feature is used. Helps prevent CSRF security issues.	Temporary
_pk_testcookie.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to check whether the visitor’s browser supports cookies.	1 second
xs	Preferences	.facebook.com	This cookie contains several pieces of information about the user’s session.	3 months

Pixel-art bedroom seen from above, with an open beige computer, floppy disks and a circuit notebook beside a glowing CRT

Linux at 35: Inside the First Source Release

9/17/26

The first Linux release offered something more demanding than an installer: a design to inspect. Read the evidence behind its hardware limits, MINIX dependency and later licensing change.

Pixel-art retro bedroom with guacamole, an avocado half and lime on a bed tray, beside a small browned sample

Guacamole Day 2026: The Science Behind the Brown

9/16/26

A green patch beneath an avocado pit tells only part of the story. Follow the chemistry and learn how to test a familiar kitchen claim.

Pixel-art bedroom with a platform game on a CRT, a controller and a handmade model of brick steps and a pipe

Super Mario Bros. at 41: Learning to Read World 1-1

9/13/26

A good first level must make unfamiliar rules feel discoverable. Revisit the small decisions behind World 1-1 and the limits of its celebrated teaching.

A teenage girl examines a photograph with a magnifying glass in a pixel-art bedroom while a CRT shows a UFO over a forest

The X-Files at 33: Why Scully’s Doubt Still Matters

9/10/26

An alien mystery needs someone who asks for evidence. Revisit the partnership that made The X-Files work—and the real-world inspiration associated with Dana Scully.

Two teenagers pass a floppy disk between different retro computers displaying the same cyan tree in a pixel-art bedroom

Dennis Ritchie at 85: The Code That Could Travel

9/9/26

A new computer should not mean rewriting every useful program. On Ritchie’s 85th birth anniversary, explore the engineering behind software that could travel.

Pixel-art bedroom with a spacecraft on a CRT television, three VHS tapes and a handmade cardboard space model

Star Trek at 60: Three Beginnings, One Premiere

9/8/26

Two pilots made Star Trek possible, but neither opened its NBC run. Revisit the three beginnings behind the series’ sixtieth anniversary.

Salami slices and a microscope on a round table in a pixel-art bedroom, with bacteria illustrated on a CRT

Salami Day 2026: The Microbial World Inside a Slice

9/7/26

A slice of salami carries the results of a microbial community at work. For September 7, follow the science from acid production to bacterial competition.

A glass prism casts a spectrum across coloured threads beside a CRT showing an eye in a pixel-art bedroom

John Dalton at 260: The Colour Mystery He Left Behind

9/6/26

A flower, a candle and a disagreement about colour led Dalton to investigate his own vision. His explanation failed, but the evidence survived.

A child sits before a CRT as the bedroom opens into a pixel-art fantasy of a sword-raising hero, castle and hooded skull figure

He-Man at 43: How 65 Episodes Took Over the Week

9/5/26

The secret behind He-Man’s staying power includes a surprisingly practical number: 65. A look at the TV schedule that helped turn a toy hero into a daily companion.

Welcome to the rabbit hole.