I was sending email, reading messages, writing an occasional message.I kid you not. I was on the internet as a kid.
Today I stumbled across a post I wrote — twenty years ago today.
1987
In my 1987 post, I inquired for a friend about internet access at various top tier schools. Technically, I was inquiring about USENET.
Surprisingly, the responses revealed that most colleges did not have internet email for college students in 1987 — and those that did, offered it mainly to computer science majors.
Not so surprisingly, the kid I was who was concerned about a friend’s well being (and our being able to continue email each other), grew up into the kid I am now — checking the BlackBerry, blogging, and text messaging my buddies.
Flash forward. 2007.
Commercials feature twelve year olds texting on family plans, using Sidekicks to send and receive email from the couch, the bus — anywhere kids happen to be.
Hey, internet — you’ve come a long way, baby!
Archives Are Forever
In a day and age when people are talking about how putting up photos of yourself on MySpace your parents shouldn’t see, and people Googling each other for social prospects, it’s really a bit daunting. Some of the dribble and dreck going through my head 20 years ago (and earlier) is still online today, thanks to the archives.
Happily, I haven’t been able to find myself involved in any flame wars. But maybe I’m not looking hard enough.
