The Virtual Wild, Wild West

The internet is better than it was ... but it's still not as good as it was back in 1999 - 2001. That truly was the wild west era of the internet.

I hope someone writes a book about that era. The era of Suck.com. Napster, in its original incarnation. Peapod, Pets.com ... stores would literally take a loss to get your business ... they'd pay you to "acquire" you as a customer. People would send away for free toothpaste, clothes, whathaveyou.

It was the era of "Bathe with Jesus" [the dude had www.jesus.com as his URL]. The rent-a-genius dude, who really was just another egotistical middle-aged wimp, mad at his ex. Of "Pork Pork Pork." All the good stuff.

I miss it. It seemed like there were real people behind the websites, that people were connecting with each other. Once I posted some Cretones songs on Napster, and someone in Chile instant messaged me, thanking me for doing it. I was able to download so much cool stuff ...