August 17th, 2007

This Linkable Life II

Most websites and even blogs have a link-list of the owner’s favourite and/or most visited sites on the web, sources of news, information, entertainment, pornography, whatever. Other than my personal friends , and publications I’ve been involved with, I have no such list. Not that those lists aren’t content-rich in their own rights–the book reviews at Pickle Me This and music at Idle Tigers are worth your time even if you have no idea how charming Kerry and Ross are personally. And all of the journals there are primarily content purveyors that I am really only marginally involved with. I can spend an amazing amount of time waltzing around The Danforth Review and The New Quarterly especially.

But non-literary, non-personal links? There are zero. I surf for journals and Facebook and email and blogs now. That’s it. It wasn’t always that way. I used to read a lot on the ‘net. I wonder what happened to those sites I used to like, back in the day… (if this were an episode of Scooby-Do, the screen would go wavy now…

In first year university, I got my own computer and whippet-fast internet in residence, and discovered there was more you could do than email and pathetically try to contact your friends in Winnipeg via IRC on *dial-up* (I was an idiot as a kid, ok?) and crash the computer and have your dad yell at you. I found out about websites in 1997. Is that sad?

Anne-Michelle (of no internet presence) recommend Prehensile Tales to me. Their motto was “stories that grab you”–get it? Like prehensile *tails* on monkeys. Ahahaha. Erm. Now, when I check back, the motto is “stories to make you soil yourself,” which, in my opinion, is less funny. The site’s no longer being updated, but the old content is still archived, included much from after I stopped reading, when apparently things were largely given over to critiques of pornography. But the creator, Halcyon, who back in 1997 was just an amusing and oddly hot web designer with too much free time, is now apparently sort of famous. I had no idea! He has his own tv show, Cocky Bastard TV, and billions of websites that this linkable life will not be linking, as they all proliferate off the one above. After following an endless link trail, I eventually got to what Halcyon was up to as of last week, nearly 8 years after I was last paying attention to his words. It’s a weird feeling:

“But with the help of Spotman, John The Grease Angel, GriffinOne, and my Mom, I have adopted and transformed this neglected Winnibago into a pink chariot of love.”

It’s a really weird feeling.

I forget who suggested I might enjoy The Shaaazay Cafe (yep, three As) but they were right. It’s an *NSYNC parody/humour site, which hasn’t been updated since 2004, apparently. It looks like after I stopped reading it went downhill with the departure of KD and WD, the Swedish and Midwestern (respectively) webmistresses and snarkheads.

“4. What worries you most about running an NSYNC humor site?

KD: That I might get bored and lose interest. OR! That people I respect might find out.”

What was I *doing* during undergrad? Not a lot of work, apparently.

Oh, man, it’s just as well I don’t much bother with the web-world now. The lit journals and friends mentioned before refer me to good stuff much of the time and the rest of the time…well, it’s clear I’m not good at making my own decisions. I think I’ll not pursue this trip down memory lane any further, as it is getting embarrassing. People I respect, indeed!

Sweet lady
RR