"An Oral History of the Internet"
To be honest, I was a little bored while reading this article, but it did have a lot of interesting information. It just wasn't entirely information that I cared about. I did actually know that the internet started off as a way to secure information and that it was invented in the 60s. However, even though I know that, every time I come across that piece of information, I'm still a little surprised. Like everyone else in the class, I'm sure, I grew up with the internet. By the time I got interested in going online for more than just fact finding for a school project, the internet was already a personal thing. I never really think about what went into making the internet accessible to most people; to me I just take it for granted.
I did have to do a sad smile when I got to the section about "You've got mail" as a greeting amongst a generation. It just made me think of my grandfather's email notifier on Incredimail. He had an English butler who would walk out from the side of the screen, carrying a tray with a letter on it, and say "You have mail, sir." My grandma hates that thing, but I don't think she'll change it for awhile.
Facebook
Well, after reading that article, I feel like I have no need to watch the movie. I knew some of those details previously, but Rolling Stone really went in depth. However, while the timeline is sketchy and it does sound like Zuckerberg may have taken a couple of ideas and twisted them, at the same time I can't help but not care. A lot of things are based off of other things, however tightly or loosely connected. Take Twilight for example. With the exception of the vampires sparkling, it's not like that plot is that original. Either way, while I can envy him for being so successful so early in life, I can't help but feel like if I met the inventor of Facebook, I would want to hit him after a couple of minutes. The article, whether basing your opinion of him off of the quotes from people who are suing him or from Zuckerberg who says he's just an innocent little kid, made it seem like he would be really annoying.
I totally agree with the fact that these articles were a struggle to get through. But the fact that I remember "You've Got Mail" alert, and how much I hated AOL for taking forever to sign on to instant messenger. There are some things you just won't forget. For me, it's the obnoxious tones you were forced to listen to logging onto the internet. :)
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