I just came across this
Recently Unearthed E-Mail Reveals What Life Was Like In 1995.
KNOXVILLE, TN--A 1995 e-mail extracted from the hard drive of a recently unearthed Compaq desktop PC offers a tantalizing glimpse into the day-to-day life of a primitive Internet society, said the archaeologists responsible for its discovery.
Archaeologists carefully examine the cryptic e-mail for more clues to its origin.
It's remarkable how much life has changed since then. Internet conversations appeared to use a long forgotten means of communication called "
USENET".
Only four known e-mails pre-date this one, including a 1992 ASCII drawing of Star Trek's Mr. Spock, found by a group of Indian laborers salvaging precious metals from computer hardware in a Mumbai dump in 2004.
It was a wonderful time, full of gentility, honor, and manners, and it's
ALL BEEN DESTROYED BY THE BLOGGERS.
(more after break)
Yes, it's bloggers and their dreaded snark that have coarsened our society and political discourse.
In 1995, no one had ever heard of "Wonkette" or Ana Marie Cox. Markos "Kos" Moulitsas Zúniga was (relatively) fresh from serving in the military.
It was a magical, wonderful time, and I wish that I had bought into dotcoms then.
See how wonderful it was.
*
BILL CLINTON WAS PRESIDENT
* Everyone hated Hillary (some things never change)
* Everyone thought that Al Gore was dull, but honest.
* Mel Gibson was a talented Oscar winning director (Braveheart), not a right wing paleo-Catholic whack job.
* Terrorist attacks, were either home grown (Tim McVeigh) or against Japanese (Aum Shinrikyo).
* OJ Simpson was on trial.
* Kevin Mitnick was still at large.
* The DVD is announced.
Good times, yes, very good times.