January 05, 2004

History of the internet - Progress: Since its inception almost 30 years ago, the internet has been transformed from a primitive device for sharing thoughts and ideas, into a massive network where people pay to connect and read advertisements they don't want, while calling each other "asshats".

This timeline made me laugh and gave me the chance to reflect upon how much the internet has changed my life. Not only am I constantly connected thanks to broadband, but my career and perception of the world have been influenced. I remember freaking out when the cable modem went down and I needed to find a restaurant--the yellow pages horrified me. I can't imagine life without it and I spend way too much time thinking about how it could be organized differently, and yet I know many people who have no idea what a "blog" is and have slow as molasses dial-up connections if anything at all. I wonder what this is all leading to and look forward to the adventure.

posted by Kimberly 20 years ago
  • I just ran across this as well: 101 Ways to Save the Internet.
  • Hang on, how could Al Gore have invented the internet thirty years ago? *reads link* Oh, sorry.
  • [rubs Hayes Smartmodem-shaped dent on head, winces] I never noticed how much the Y2K Gore resembled Larry Ellison in "asshole playboy" mode.
  • 11 Larry Flynt, build a porn browser It should cover our tracks coming and going. That's why FreeNet was invented. Heh.
  • Another internet historical event
  • More Internet history, but not quite as funny: A Columbia Journalism Review article entitled Emerging Alternatives: A Brief History of Weblogs.
  • Look at typewriters. Sure, they revolutionized the office, but it wasn't until the first one was used to bludgeon someone to death that sales really took off. Once the 'net has the ability to burn brains out, something our top scientists have been working on for years, then it'll have arrived.
  • The "101 Ways to Save the Internet" is still interesting with two years after it.
  • I like number 10 myself. Schwarza..... whosiewhatsit. He can't become prez unless he becomes a citizen... or we change the laws. haven't some of the things on this list happened? how can we go about "updating" the list? how do we get it into really useful people's hands?