1995 as tipping point: Recalling Smith Corona’s bankruptcy
Even as 1995 unfolded, it became clear that the year would be regarded as a hinge moment, as an important transitory time near the end of the millennium. As I … Continue reading
‘Cyberporn’ scare of 1995 demonstrates the early Web’s corrective power
The demotion last month of Brian Williams, the former NBC News lead anchor, was testimony, at least in part, to the power of social media to expose and debunk. The … Continue reading
Microsoft warns Netscape in prelude to the ‘browser war’ of 1995-98
Before they were locked in a death struggle known as the “browser war,” the software giant Microsoft and Web upstart Netscape made nice, at least for a while. Representatives of … Continue reading
‘The Internet Tidal Wave,’ 20 years on
Twenty years ago this week, Bill Gates sent a lengthy internal memorandum to senior staff at Microsoft Corporation, announcing an embrace of the Internet that was to help shape the … Continue reading
Saluting the unassuming wiki, 20 years after its launch
The unassuming wiki, server-based software that allows users to create, revise, edit, update, and delete Web content, last week marked the 20th anniversary of its launch online, in what was … Continue reading
Talking Internet history, and 1995
I had the pleasure recently to be interviewed by the Internet History Podcast, an outstanding and expanding online resource based on the recognition that 1995 was a turning point in … Continue reading
‘The Internet? Bah!’ Classic off-target essay appeared 20 years ago
Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the publication date of a commentary about the Internet so breathtakingly off target that it has become something of an online cult classic. The … Continue reading
Part One: Highlights of ‘1995’ interview with Reason.com
Nick Gillespie, editor-in-chief of Reason.com and Reason TV, recently spoke with me about my latest book, 1995: The Year the Future Began. The video and the transcript of the interview … Continue reading
Recalling the quaint early struggles to describe the Web
With considerable uncertainty and obvious tentativeness, news outlets 20 years ago struggled to describe the then-new phenomenon of the World Wide Web. Their tentativeness seems quaint nowadays, and a bit … Continue reading
What ‘Time’ forgot in its look back to 1995
“Does 1995 feel like just yesterday or a lifetime ago?” Time magazine asked in a recent writeup online that offered a puzzling look back at 1995. Puzzling for what Time … Continue reading
