the internet: tell me about it.

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tell me the history. tell me what it means to you. tell me how its changed.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Saturday, 17 September 2005 05:56 (twenty years ago)

its a decentralised packet switching network or something? were its origins military?

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Saturday, 17 September 2005 05:58 (twenty years ago)

Yeah the origins were ARPNET or somesuch, military instillations designed to be warproof blah blah I dont know the details, I'm sure someone better suited can splain.

The internet and I have a love/hate relationship. While many people online just use it, for me it is also my bread and butter for work. Its a frustrating field to be in. Many people still dont understand the intricasies, problems etc - they expect it to "just work" and are actually offended when it wont, as if it is indestructable! I hate hearing shit like "make my link work again, NOW - I sell on ebay". Oh GET A LIFE. Apparently some New Orleans people have been known to call helpdesks demanding their internet, when their home is still half underwater - I'm not making this up.

I know more than I want to about it, it is my entertainment, my job, my worst nightmare. Ugh.

― Trayce (trayce), Saturday, 17 September 2005 06:06 (twenty years ago)

Yesterday I read that The Queen sent her first email in 1976. She must have been on holiday, given that the first internet connection to the UK was in 1983.

(actually, 1976 - did she do some kind of "woo, 200th anniversary of you kicking our butts" visit to the US?)

The Arpanet, the first internet, was switched on in 1969. It was only in the early 80s, though, that the technology became recognisably the current technology. And, of course, the first web server wasn't live until 1991.

It's scary to realise that it's 9 years since I first used the internet; one of my first memories of it is being impressed at organisations (like my university) who had registered domains for misspelled versions of their name. It's also scary to think that anyone younger than me has pretty much grown up with it always being there, like TV.

Like Trayce, I have a love/hate relationship with it; but as I work as a very generalised computer geek, that applies to computers in general too. What I've noticed, too, is not just that people expect it to Just Work; people now are starting to expect older tech to work like the internet does. People at my office will send 20-page faxes from their computers and expect them to arrive immediately; one manager recently told all his staff that when faxing our price list to customers they should always fax the PDF version "so that they can't edit it at the other end".

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Saturday, 17 September 2005 06:24 (twenty years ago)

tell me more about arpnet.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Saturday, 17 September 2005 06:31 (twenty years ago)

Haha, that fax line is fantastic!

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 17 September 2005 07:17 (twenty years ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet
etc.

― W i l l (common_person), Saturday, 17 September 2005 07:37 (twenty years ago)

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INTERNET

Al Gore invented it.
Today it's main application is wankery.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Saturday, 17 September 2005 07:49 (twenty years ago)

I'm sorry tuomas, but I had to stop what I was doing to dispute that.

― moley, Saturday, 17 September 2005 07:52 (twenty years ago)

a) oh! I can have my own personal website!
b) damn! no one looks at my website
c) oh my god! I got an email!
d) damn! all I get is spam
e) wow, I can chat to people all over the world
f) I've got nothing to say
g) I can but stuff on the internet
h) it's all a big waste of time
i) perhaps I'm not trying hard enough
j) it' okay

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 17 September 2005 09:29 (twenty years ago)

haha thnx jel almost prefecxt. i'll make an overhead transparency of that!

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Saturday, 17 September 2005 09:46 (twenty years ago)

KATE
Finally, I get to teach a whole lesson, all by my self!
I'm going to teach something relevant, something modern.
The Internet!
The internet is really really great

TREKKIE MONSTER
For porn

KATE
I’ve got a fast connection so i don’t have to wait

TREKKIE
For porn

KATE
Huh?
There's always some new site,

TREKKIE
For porn!

KATE
I browse all day and night

TREKKIE
For porn!

KATE
It's like i’m surfing at the speed of light

TREKKIE
For porn!

KATE
Trekkie!

TREKKIE
The internet is for porn

KATE
Trekkie!

TREKKIE
The internet is for porn,

KATE
What are you doing!?

TREKKIE
Why you think the net was born?
porn porn porn

KATE
Treee—kkie!

TREKKIE
Oh hello kate monster

KATE
You are ruining my song

TREKKIE
Oh me sorry, me no mean to

KATE
Well if you wouldnt mind please being quiet for a minute so i can finish?

TREKKIE
Me no talkie

KATE
Good
I’m glad we have this new technology

TREKKIE
For porn

KATE
Which gives us untold opportunity

TREKKIE
For por—oops, sorry

KATE
Right from you own desktop

TREKKIE
For ---

KATE
You can research browse and shop
Until you’ve had enough and your ready to stop

TREKKIE
FOR porn!!

KATE
Trekkie!

TREKKIE
The internet is for porn!

KATE
Noooo

TREKKIE
The internet if for porn!

KATE
Trekkie

TREKKIE
Me up all night honking me horn to porn, porn, porn!

KATE
That’s gross you’re a pervert

TREKKIE
Ah, sticks and stones Kate monster

KATE
NO really, your a pervert
Normal people don’t sit at home and look
At porn on the internet

TREKKIE
Ohhhh?

KATE
What?!

TREKKIE
You have no idea
Ready normal people?

NORMAL PEOPLE
Ready--- ready ----ready

TREKKIE
Let me hear it!

TREKKIE AND GUYS
The internet is for porn!

PRINCETON
Sorry kate

TREKKIE AND GUYS
The internet is for porn!

PRINCETON
I masturbate!

TREKKIE AND GUYS
All these guys unzip their flies
For porn, porn, porn!

KATE
The internet is not for porn!!

TREKKIE AND GUYS
porn!, porn, P---

KATE
HOLD ON A SECOND!
Now i know for a fact that you, Rob, check your portfolio and trade stocks online

ROB
That’s correct.

KATE
And Brian, you buy things on Amazon.com

BRIAN
Sure!

KATE
And Gary, you keep selling your possesions on Ebay

GARY
Yes I do!

KATE
And Princeton, you sent me that sweet online birthday card

PRINCETON
True!

TREKKIE
Oh, but Kate-
What you think he do . . .after? hmm?

PRINCETON
. .yeah

KATE
EEEWWWWW!

TREKKIE AND GUYS
The internet is for porn!

KATE
Gross!

TREKKIE AND GUYS
The internet is for porn!

KATE
I hate porn

TREKKIE AND GUYS
Grab your d**k and double click

KATE
I hate you men!

TREKKIE AND GUYS
For porn, porn, porn!
(harmonizing) porn, porn, porn, porn

KATE
I’m leaving!

TREKKIE AND GUYS
porn, porn, porn, porn
porn, porn, porn, porn

KATE
I hate the internet!

TREKKIE AND GUYS
porn, porn, porn, porn

TREKKIE
The internet is for

TREKKIE AND SOME
The internet is for

TREKKIE AND ALL
The internet is for porn!

TREKKIE
YEAH!

― M. V. (M.V.), Saturday, 17 September 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)

Omigod! Where's that from?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:03 (twenty years ago)

Avenue Q

― M. V. (M.V.), Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:04 (twenty years ago)

???

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:05 (twenty years ago)

w/o the internet there would be no concept of PWNJ, and that would be terrible, wouldn't it.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:18 (twenty years ago)

"Avenue Q" is a Broadway show that spoofs educational children's shows like "Sesame Street".

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:19 (twenty years ago)

Okay. What's "PWNJ"?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:26 (twenty years ago)

It's extremely funny. I'd love to hear the song and see the puppets.

― moley, Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:28 (twenty years ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pwn

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:29 (twenty years ago)

Here's that song for you to listen to through a net fad. How very.

http://forporn.ytmnd.com/

― On one hand I've got myself to blame (Lynskey), Saturday, 17 September 2005 11:33 (twenty years ago)

The internet's cheaper than a sex-change operation for reinventing oneself.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 17 September 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

And a cautionary tale re the limits of reinvention?

― M. V. (M.V.), Saturday, 17 September 2005 14:42 (twenty years ago)

i
like
to
down
load

― amon (eman), Saturday, 17 September 2005 15:12 (twenty years ago)

Yesterday I read that The Queen sent her first email in 1976. She must have been on holiday, given that the first internet connection to the UK was in 1983.

...in 1973, the University College of London in England and the Royal Radar Establishment in Norway become the first international connections to the ARPANET.

Queen Elizabeth II makes early network history by sending an email announcing that the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment in Malvern, is available on the ARPANET system.

According to the Queen's Royal Archives, the brief message was sent on March 26, 1976. Additional information only included the names of the computers that were used over ARPANET.

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Saturday, 17 September 2005 16:43 (twenty years ago)

can we start an "I Love the Internet" board?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 17 September 2005 16:45 (twenty years ago)

Hurrah, my university!

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 17 September 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

Trayce, Arpanet was not designed to be survivable. That is a common myth!

― ~~~~ DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE ~~~~ (ex machina), Saturday, 17 September 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

Bah, I thought it was '83, not '73.

According to the Wikipedia articles linked, it wasn't deliberately designed to survive a war, but it was designed to be robust, so that it would work when made up of rather unreliable network links.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Sunday, 18 September 2005 07:40 (twenty years ago)

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