Um. I have news for you. We had pictures of coffee pots and coke machines in the 80s. Because late at night, it was easier to finger someone to see if they were still in their office, and stuff like that. And nobody likes when there's no Sprite left after a trek across campus.

We didn't make it for you. You were an afterthought.

You don't see a lot of hair cuts like that reporter's anymore.

I remember we had orange text on a black screen in 1993 where I worked. Much more exciting!

"It feels a bit like everyday human fellowship, but it's bigger."

Yep, Eternal September ruined all that.

@1: You'll have better luck selling that line to people who don't already know you. I wouldn't leave you alone with my toaster, let alone with my computer, and wisdom doesn't work through some sort of Benjamin Button-style reverse accumulation.

"I mean, what did they leave out?"

Cats. The most basic fundamental building block of the internet, and he missed it.

Ah, the memories...

My first connection with the internet was through a 1200 baud telephone modem. About 1990 or maybe 1991. Even plain text was relatively slow, and graphics were out of the question.

Fuck. I'm old.

@6 like I care what u think.

As to speed, I had 110 baud. Later I got a 110/300 modem for my Apple II + and after a Mac SE 2dd w a 300/1200 modem. I ran cards for input until the Apple.

I was having some Internet redux thoughts last night.

I remember that back in the early 90s, PC sales had come to a near standstill. The model of enter all your checkbook data into Quicken was an unreachable goal for most, and the PC sitting on a desk in the home office, gathering dust next to the exercise machine (another fantasy) was a common joke.

It was the Internet, that put a PC in every home and every office. And it was a $49 application, Netscape, that actualized it.

But is the Internet necessarily "computing"?

I was thinking, no. The Internet is really not a computing advance at all. The Internet was a media advance! The Internet was a change from top down, one way media delivery to two-way, interactive, or conversational media.

The Internet, primarily, is something we use to talk back to the TV.

I have no idea what Internets Johnny was on but the one I was on had a lot of insults and cursing. My major interactions in the early 90's were 3 listservs (look it up kids). One was on college hockey and did have almost no cursing but tons of insults & even trolls. Another was on the American Civil War, some of humanities rejects posted there in defense of the right to human chattel. the war was the only thing civil at times. The last was a vegetarian group (I dabble) that would break out in the most hilarious hissy fits at times about what was or was not 'ethical' to eat/drink/wear. Hitler came up a lot long before "Godwin" was coined!

@9: I think no more of you than does anyone else on Slog. Just so long as you're aware of that.

@14 whatever. I didn't write primers on how to use ftp back in the 80s for you. or how to use various image translators. we built this city for electronic music by math majors who had taken music in high school.