Sunday Reflections - Almost a Quarter of a Century on the Internet

in #hive-140084last year

( EN / DE )
In 1999 I got my first internet connection at home. It was one of those small modems and because the cable to the telephone connection was too short, I had to put the whole computer on the kitchen table. But it was all worth the effort, because the fascination of this new medium was too great, to discover the whole world this way.
Who still knows this sound?

Im Jahr 1999 bekam ich meinen ersten eigenen Internet Anschluß zu Hause. Es war eines jener kleinen Modems und da das Kabel zum Telefonanschluß zu kurz war, musste ich den gesamten Computer auf den Küchentisch stellen. Aber das alles war der Mühe wert, denn zu groß war die Faszination an diesem neuen Medium, die ganze Welt auf diese Weise zu entdecken.
Wer kennt es noch, dieses Geräusch?

It fascinated me so much from the beginning and I soon ended up in my first chat room, at that time one from AOL, still really, really oldschool! After the first month of spending a lot of time on the internet, I got my first phone bill ........ "gulp" haha, it was actually as high as the entire monthly rent at the time. But ok, you learn... I first reduced the time and chose a different internet tariff.
Es hat mich von Anfang an so sehr fasziniert und ich bin recht bald im ersten Chatroom gelandet, damals einer von AOL, noch so richtig, richtig oldschool! Nach dem ersten Monat mit viel Zeit im Internet kam dann die erste Telefonabrechnung ........ "schluck" haha, die war damals tatsächlich so hoch wie die gesamte Monatsmiete. Aber ok, man lernt... ich habe erst die Zeit reduziert und einen anderen Internet Tarif gewählt.

Soon after, I discovered GMX and the chat server Gimix, which no longer exists. A lot happened there back then. Everyone was in a good mood and had fun. We laughed and often enough it was even a ROFL ;-) There was also a chat room "The Tavern to the Wanderer" where you went as a fantasy person and played little fantasy role plays.
Bald darauf entdeckte ich GMX und den damaligen Chat Server Gimix, den es nun auch schon lange nicht mehr gibt. Dort spielte sich damals sehr viel ab. Alle waren gut drauf und hatten Spaß. Wir haben gelacht und oft genug war es sogar ein ROFL ;-) Es gab auch einen Chatraum "Die Taverne zum Wanderer" wo man als Fantasie Person hinging und kleine Fantasie Rollenspiele spielte.

/me leaned against the bar and looked around the tavern. Many familiar faces to see, but there, there was a new face. Interesting...
/me lehnte sich an die Bar und sah sich in der Taverne um. Viele bekannte Gesichter zu sehen, aber da, da war ein neues Gesicht. Interessant...

Of course, there were no "faces" in the chat back then. There were only the names in front of the (when there were many people in the same room, rapidly rattling across the screen) written lines. At least everyone already had their own colour, which was an enormous relief to read.
Gimix even had a kind of small profile where you could introduce yourself briefly, which was also new at the time.

Natürlich gab es damals noch keine "Gesichter" im Chat. Es waren ja nur die Namen vor den (wenn viele Leute im gleichen Raum waren, rasend schnell über den Bildschirm ratternden geschriebenen) Zeilen. Immerhin hatte jeder schon eine eigene Farbe, was eine enorme Erleichterung zu Lesen war.
Gimix hatte sogar schon eine Art kleines Profil, wo man sich kurz vorstellen konnte, das war auch neu damals.

Anyway, there in the Tavern to the Wanderer I met and fell in love with the person who made me move to Munich a year later in 2000. There I went to the first chatter meeting of my life. Several more were to follow and I am still in contact with a few of these lovely people today.
Jedenfalls, dort lernte ich den Menschen kennen und lieben, wegen dem ich ein Jahr später im Jahre 2000 nach München gezogen bin. Dort war ich auf dem ersten Chattertreffen meines Lebens. Mehrere sollte folgen und zu ein paar dieser lieben Menschen besteht bis heute noch Kontakt.

At some point, google was "invented". I can still remember it clearly, I was visiting my sister, she was sitting at the computer. I asked, what is that? "A new internet search engine!" And I first of all remembered the name immediately and secondly, when I visited the site later, I was thrilled with the result.
Yes, you wouldn't believe it, but there was a world before google ;-) And it really was the best search engine back then, if you compare it with what was there before (aol search and yahoo). Finally you could find everything really easily. Today, unfortunately, that is no longer the case. The algorythms stand in the way of what Google could really be.

Irgenwann wurde dann google "erfunden". Ich kann mich noch genau daran erinnern, ich besuchte meine Schwester, sie saß am Computer. Ich fragte, was ist das? "Eine neue Internet Suchmaschine!" Und ich merkte mir erstens den Namen sofort und war zweitens, als ich die Seite später besuchte begeistert vom Ergebnis.
Ja ja, man möchte es nicht glauben, aber es gab eine Welt vor google ;-) Und es war damals wirklich die beste Suchmaschine, wenn man sie mit dem was vorher da war (aol search und yahoo) verglich. Endlich konnte man wirklich leicht alles finden. Heute, ja heute ist das leider nicht mehr so. Die Algorythmen stehen dem im Wege, was Google wirklich sein könnte.

By the way, no one had to advertise for google, facebook and amazon. No one talked about "onboarding" like we do here on hive. They were simply unique in their time. The success came because they fulfilled people's needs, but most of all because they were completely intuitive and easy to use.
Für google, facebook und amazon musste übrigens keiner Werbung machen. Keiner sprach von "onboarding" wie wir hier auf hive. Sie waren zu ihrer Zeit einfach einzigartig. Der Erfolg kam weil sie den Leuten Bedürnisse erfüllten, vor allem aber weil sie völlig intuitiv und einfach zu bedienen waren.

My last "big" step on the internet was then to HIVE. For me, it fit then and it still fits today. Even though at the beginning it was difficult to understand, I was fascinated from the first moment. Well, probably my personal "internet life story" also contributed to the fact that I don't always have to go with the mainstream and like to try out new things.
Mein letzter "großer" Schritt im Internet war dann der zu HIVE. Für mich passte es damals und es passt auch heute noch. Auch wenn es Anfang schwierig war alles zu verstehen, so war ich doch vom ersten Moment an fasziniert. Naja, wahrscheinlich hat meine persönliche "Internet Lebensgeschichte" ja auch dazu beigetragen, nicht immer mit dem Mainstream gehen zu müssen und gerne auch Neues auszuprobieren.

Just like my friends back in 1999 didn't understand how to fall in love over the internet, they don't understand now how to be active on a crypto blockchain.
Genauso wie es meine Freunde damals im Jahr 1999 nicht verstanden, wie man sich übers Internet verlieben kann, so verstehen sie es jetzt nicht, wie man auf einer Crypto Blockchain aktiv sein kann.

When I think back, there was a lot of fascinating stuff that I would never have experienced without the internet. But still, I have lived more than half of my life so far WITHOUT the internet. That's an interesting thought because it doesn't feel like that. It feels like we've had all these digital communication tools forever. As if we couldn't even find our way around without them. Which is definitely not true. It's just another kind of dependency we've voluntarily put ourselves into.
Wenn ich so zurückdenke, dann war da schon sehr viel faszinierendes, das ich ohne das Internet niemals erlebt hätte. Aber immer noch habe ich mehr als die Hälfte meins bisherigen Lebens OHNE Internet gelebt. Das ist ein interessanter Gedanke, weil es fühlt sich nicht so an. Es fühlt sich so an, als hätten wir all die digitalen Kommunikationsmittel schon ewig. Als könnten wir uns ohne sie gar nicht zurechtfinden. Was aber definitiv nicht stimmt. Es ist nur eine weitere Art von Abhängigkeit, in die wir uns freiwillig begeben haben.

This was my "Sunday Reflections" post for the Free Compliments Community. I hope its okay, its noch a weekly, but a quarter of a century reflection. This post was inspired throug a chat in Ecency discord with @xplosive @stresskiller and @seckorama And as you see, I NEVER EVER stopped online chatting somewhere. Throuh all these almost 25 years, there was always a place to connect with likeminded people and thats what I am really thankful for.


I am a blogger from Austria, founder of the Hive Memorial Forest, active in ecency discord and here and there all around this beautiful blockchain.
Fotos by @beeber screenshot from hive.io
mostly translated with deepl.com (free version)
Video youtube.com the linked videos are not owned by me, I am sharing just the link to the copyright owner's video. No copyright infringement is intended.

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I still exchange Christmas cards with a woman that I met in one of those chat rooms in the mid-90s. Hearing that dial-up sound again certainly brings back memories.

Yes, a lot of good memories. And what we are doing now creates more good memories for the future!
I always thought about this, that likeminded souls find a way to dedect and connect ❤️

Auch eine erste zu hohe Rechnung oder auch vom ersten Moment magisch angezogen?
!ALIVE

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Wie hoch die Rechnung war weiß ich garnicht mehr ich wollte online Fussball Manager spielen. 😇

Und habe auch meine Frau im Online Chat kennengelernt 🙃

Wo die Liebe hinfällt ❤️
Wir hatten einige wundervolle Jahre. Dann hat's irgendwann für uns beide nicht mehr gepasst. Aber wir gingen im Guten auseinander und es wurde ein wirklich gute Freundschaft daraus, was ja auch selten vorkommt.

Und ich hab sie nach 10 Jahren dann doch geheiratet und wir haben zwei Kinder die wir nach unseren idealen erziehen 🤪

!LUV

Ja, soviel ich mitbekomme gestaltet ihr euer Leben sehr gut nach euren Werten. Bemerkenswert 🙂

Von aussen sieht das vielleicht bemerkenswert aus dabei machen wir es doch auch ganz normal... Wie es mindestens sein sollte... 😇

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Is it possible to feel nostalgia for that sound of the modem connecting? Dopamine is triggered just by listening to it. 😂

Ha yes somehow it's deeply rooted somewhere inside.
Maybe because we havent been connected immediately like today, but had to wait a little time until it worked?
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My first computer was a Spectrum ZX+2. The games were loaded with cassettes that made a very similar noise while charging. Before the internet, I already started having withdrawal syndrome. 🤣

The video reminded me of my workplace. I used to create contracts for VDSL internet connections. Sometimes, I would go to the houses of our close neighbors to help them connect their computers to the internet and explain how it works. How many years have passed since then? Wi-Fi fiber is now available everywhere.

Its great to see all the comments here. Everyone seems to have great memories of that time ❤️
Haha yes so strange how many years passed by since then.
!LUV

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Das waren noch Zeiten, und wenn Du rechnest: ERST 24 Jahre zurück.

!LOL
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This is actually a very fascinating reflection! It's funny how sometimes one chance action (such as you getting your first computer) was enough to spark a lifetime's worth of changes. At the time, who could've known the rapid and widespread impact this would have?

Funny enough, I do remember that dial tone rather clearly, even though I'm still young myself (or am I? 🤔). I even knew what it was before I scrolled down. Maybe it's time for me to go into a time machine and revert a few years!

Anyway, thank you for sharing your fascinating story. It was a great pleasure to read this reflection of yours.

Glad you like the Post 🙂

What is your birth year? I think those kind of modems have been used for some years after 1999. Dont know when they changed. And maybe you heard it in a movie?
😅 Time for you to reflect about.

Thank you ❤️
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1991, and my family members did have computers rather early on! I'm certain that I heard it as a child.

Hope it brought good memories or feelings for you
Its so fascinating how every memory is stored in ourselves.
A Word, a thought, a smell, a Sound ... Bamm. There is comes out into consiousness again 🙂

Thanks for the mention. Well, I work with video, so in that time 95/96 Amiga was a great computer for doing animations and for titling videos. So, my first connection to the net was with Amiga, to Aminet. And the browser was called "gopher" it was something like FTP - you connect to site and browse directories...
!DHEDGE

Must have taken hours or days to finish a video back at that time?

Funny I was thinking and thinking, but cannot remember when the very first time was I saw the Internet somewhere. Maybe at university 🤔
My beginnings with computer have been after Amiga time. It was a dos computer

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Thank you for your post, the first of our Sunday Reflections! Enjoy our curation and 4 HSBI. 😊

Hell yeah AOL. I can still hear that dial up connection bling blang gawn gawn gawn..

Yep. The sound who changed the world :-)

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I can remember those dial up sounds like they were yesterday. I also worked for AOL back in the day, I really enjoyed that job, chatting with users and helping them with their connection issues. Great post!


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Really? Have you been in the normal Chatrooms too? 😃 Maybe we met there without knowing
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That was an interesting story that you shared, @beeber! It's amazing how the Internet can influence our lives and how it changed yours! You moved to another city because of the online relationship that you made!

But still, I have lived more than half of my life so far WITHOUT the internet.

I stopped there for a moment to calculate years without the Internet for myself... 😂 Can't remember when I went to the Internet exactly because I was in those BBS systems that were BEFORE the Internet, but I suppose that it was around 1995-1996... So, I spent more than half of my life WITH the Internet... 😂

Thanks for sharing your story!

At least you had a life before internet 😃

I think there is no life on earth wich didnt change through all those new possibilities.

You went to Munich following love, I moved to Spain, as I could do it because of the Internet... I was working full-online and that gave me the opportunity to move... Without that, I wouldn't do it...

This freedom ful remote work can give, is something many people dream of 🙂

By the way, no one had to advertise for google, facebook and amazon. No one talked about "onboarding" like we do here on hive. They were simply unique in their time. The success came because they fulfilled people's needs, but most of all because they were completely intuitive and easy to use.

The Hive blockchain has very good developers. Creating something unique nowadays is apparently hard, but probably it is possible. Maybe some kind of platform we currently do not even think about. Something new. Something, which would fulfill people's needs. Maybe needs, which we currently do not even think about. This would make the Hive blockchain one of the most popular things on the internet. Very brave thoughts, I know. But I can imagine.

This post was inspired throug a chat in Ecency discord with @xplosive @stresskiller and @seckorama

I am happy to read this. Nowadays I very rarely use Discord. But funny how it is still more than what I spent in the recent past with commenting on the Hive blockchain. Nowadays I rarely comment. The past was different. I was in the top of the Hive Engagement League multiple times, which is no longer exists in the present. @abh12345 decided to stop the weekly summary of the Hive Engagement League two months ago.

Maybe I increase the time I spend on Discord (and commenting on the Hive blockchain too). Maybe I also find inspiration to write a post about a certain topic. Usually I blog about my life.

Thank you for the good discussion.

Have a nice day. All the best. Greetings and much love from Spain.

I think we already are in the middle of something new here :-)
Hm, If I comment I do, If not then mit. Never cared about reaching top of engagement. 😅 Didnt even recognize abh stopped it 😅

Never cared about reaching top of engagement. 😅

Mostly me neither. I just use the platform naturally.

!LUV.

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