The Net @ 40, I remember when...
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Holy Engelbart! The Net is 40!
KTEH and the Computer History Museum are throwing a birthday party — virtual of course — to celebrate this historic milestone.
We invite you to play a role in commemorating the moment — 10:30pm, Oct. 29 — when, computer scientist Leonard Kleinrock says, the system that evolved into the Internet "said its first words." That day, the first data was sent between the first two nodes of the Internet's predecessor, the ARPANET, charting a path that would change our lives forever.
No fortieth birthday party is complete until friends share their inspiring, funny and well... sometimes embarrassing stories about the guest of honor. Remember when you signed on to your first bulletin board, joined Prodigy or first heard the phrase, "You've got mail?" Okay, maybe you're not that old but we still invite you to toast the Internet by sharing your story of how this technology has made a difference in your life for inclusion in our virtual "time capsule."
And, what's a birthday party without a game? A scavenger hunt is what we have in mind.
If you have rare or unusual Internet related souvenirs, memorabilia or ephemera, we'd love to feature images of those treasures, right here, where they can spark memories for everyone.
Marc Weber, Founding Curator of the Internet History Program at CHM, will rate the artifacts weekly and award blue ribbons to the most valuable finds.
Secretly, we all know the best part about a birthday party is the gifts! Those who submit photos of truly significant artifacts may be invited to donate the item to the CHM's permanent collection where it will be placed on display and identified as a birthday gift from you. Imagine — your name featured in the Computer History Museum!
For inspiration take a look at the slideshow at the top of this page. They're some amazing artifacts from the CHM collection and are the sorts of objects that are worthy of preservation.
The celebration begins at the stroke of 10:30pm on Oct. 29, 2009 and ends at midnight on Dec. 11, 2009.
Join the party
To share an artifact photo:
1. Log in to your Flickr account, or sign up for one. You can get a free or pro membership.
2. Take a photo of your Internet relic and upload it to your Flickr account along with a brief description.
3. Join this group at www.flickr.com/groups/Internet40/pool/
4. Add your photos to the group by clicking "Send to Group" above each of the photos you want to submit.
We'd love to feature your artifact photos but remind you that the photos must be yours. Please don't upload someone else's photo or a photo of someone else's artifact without permission. That would be bad party etiquette and probably illegal, too!
KTEH and our partner, the Computer History Museum, will use your email address to alert you to future contests and promotions. If you wish to opt out, there will be clear instructions provided on all future emails.
To share a story:
Submit your original Internet story using the commenting form below. Please note
that all stories become the property of NCPB. The Terms of Service
for the use of this website apply to any photos or stories you share with us.
