This was the best time on the internet.
AIM will be discontinued on December 15, 2017
I just logged into AIM for the first time in probably a year. I was hit with this very comforting feeling of seeing my Buddy List populate (I'm amazed how many people are signed on right now...) and seeing how I used to categorize my friends into lists back in my adolescence.
AIM was a huge part of my social life growing up. There was no Facebook or Instagram and text messaging was just getting around to being cheap enough to do on the regular (used to be charged per text). AIM was the communication tool of choice and the one that probably, at least for me, made talking on the phone a thing of the past.
This year, on December 15, 2017, AOL will shut down AIM permanently. At least ICQ is still around...?
Elwood Edwards, the voice of America Online
You may not know his name but you probably know his voice. Here's Elwood Edwards, the voice behind the iconic AOL "Welcome" greeting along with several other iconic AOL spoken messages like "You've Got Mail!" and "Files Done!".
Here are some more articles about AOL!
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Re-live the days of dial-up internet on AOL with this website
Miss the old days of dial-up internet? Who doesn't? Well, re-live it all right now in your browser at dialupsound.com.
If you want a bit more than just the dial-up screen, here is a video of AOL running on a modern machine.
Running AOL 4.0 today
LGR here encompasses all the excitement and curiosity I felt when my entry to the internet was only AOL 4.0. I had this for a short time in my past and I remember clicking on all these channels and just exploring the world of hyperlinks. AIM of course was the main draw for me, and once the rest of the internet was discoverable through a web browser, I ditched AOL completely. But this brings me back.
Jason Scott wants to create an archive of every AOL CD and diskette ever mailed
Seriously, good luck to this guy because he's going to need it. Jason Scott wants you to mail him your AOL CDs and disks so that he can create the ultimate online collection and gallery of AOL mailers. He isn't the only person wanting to collect AOL discs though. VICE did a story somewhat recently about some other collectors who are well on their way to having the world's largest collection of AOL CDs.
This image is from The National Museum of American History
But why the effort to save, catalog, and scan what most would consider garbage? Well, for one, they remind many of the early days of the internet. No household or business was free from the AOL CD mailers that would come every few months. They came in standard CD packaging, shrink-wrapped flat sleeves, and even tin cases! I remember many of them fondly as the gateway that brought me to the internet.
The CDs stopped long ago and now they've sort of become a coveted item among a small circle of collectors who want to relive the past and save all the "beautiful" artwork on these CDs. I applaud their effort. If Jason (or any other collector) ever gets to digitizing their collection, I would surely chip in to buy a printed book.
If you have an AOL CD laying around, mail it to Jason at the address below (he works at the Internet Archive):