February 10, 2006

Internet Archeology: Long before there was wikipedia, back in the ancient beginnings of the internet, there was Project Galactic Guide. Arguably one of the oldest internet encyclopedia projects, the Galactic Guide was started in 1991, inspired by Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Some of the articles even date back to the internet stone age (1984!). I always had a soft spot for the light, odd style of PGG articles, and the fact that it takes reality only semi-seriously. Boy this brings back memories of my early days at university, searching the "World Wide Web" with Lynx . . . mosaic, Archie, Veronica . . . ah nostalgia. Project Galactic Guide, ironically, was pretty well killed when Douglas Adams teamed up with the BBC to make his own version, H2G2.

posted by fimbulvetr 18 years ago
  • I fondly remember the Galactic Guide.
  • the internet stone age Ah, yes, I remember when computers had chain drive and were powered by hamsters. The Mark I Charismatic Autonomous Terminator (CAT) system is a family of intelligent, stealthy, terminal-homing mouse-seeking missiles featuring multi-sensor targeting with dual night-vision devices, and neural-net architecture. The CAT's self-righting inertial platform allows launch from any attitude. Integrated multi-aspect attack profile with indefinite-loiter mode insure a wide lethality envelope. Upon target engagement, the CAT deploys four clusters of retractable submunitions in addition to the primary warhead, providing an enhanced radius of destruction. The CAT uses regular or exotic solid or liquid fuel and is equipped with a low-signature exhaust-obscuration system. Firmware and connectors compatible with any unit of the Mark I series guarantee unlimited expansion capability, making the CAT system a cost-effective countermeasure to the projected spectrum of rodent-threat scenarios well into the next century. The CAT is now available [1] from ACME Anti-Roadrunner Systems Division of McDonald Dynamics. Ah yes, good times.
  • Wow... I used to have a PGG offline reader, a decade ago. Hadn't thought of it in years. Thanks for reminding me! /nostalgic george