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David Bowie, an Internet pioneer

bbc.co.uk

1–10 of 35 posts

Re: David Bowie, an Internet pioneer

#3
post #2

"For a monthly fee, members got an @davidbowie.com-ending email address" Isn't it the same thing Trump gets ridiculed for? ;)

No, it isn't the same thing, and you took it out of context to make it seem it is:

"BowieNet also operated as a full internet service provider (ISP) in the US and UK, competing with AOL, Claranet and others. For a monthly fee, members got an @davidbowie.com-ending email address and exclusive access to audio recordings, music videos and chat rooms, which the singer participated in himself."

Re: David Bowie, an Internet pioneer

#4
It's scary to think about how ephemeral some of these early internet experiments are. Wayback Machine is great for static sites, but I'm amazed that enough of this interactive media/software was captured to even report on. I hope that the Bowie camp has some smart archivists who will preserve this unique material.

Re: David Bowie, an Internet pioneer

#5
Omikron (1999) was a great game. It was one of the first open world games with real 3D graphics. You could ride a taxi around the city, enter buildings, etc. Of course GTA3 (2001) took it to the next level, but in 1999 GTA still was 2D: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_2 .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omikron:_The_Nomad_Soul

Re: David Bowie, an Internet pioneer

#6
Bowie: I don't think we've even seen the tip of the iceberg. I think the potential of what the Internet is going to do to society—both good and bad—is unimaginable. I think we're on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying.

Interviewer: It's just a tool, though, isn't it?

Bowie: No, it's not... no, it's an alien life form [laughs]. It's just arrived from Mars.

1998?

Re: David Bowie, an Internet pioneer

#10
post #6

Bowie: I don't think we've even seen the tip of the iceberg. I think the potential of what the Internet is going to do to society—both good and bad—is unimaginable. I think we're on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying. Interviewer: It's just a tool, though, isn't it? Bowie: No, it's not... no, it's an alien life form [laughs]. It's just arrived from Mars. 1998?

2000, in fact.
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