Amusing/Creepy zombie threads

[malaka]

While bored at work, I managed to find these 2 SDMB threads from long, long ago that are now amusing and/or creepy in retrospect. Check 'em out…

Google? What's so good about it? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board - In December of 2000, a user asks about some new search engine that is slowly becoming popular: Google.

Have hijackers/terrorists ever been successful? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board - In August of 2001, a user asks about successful terrorist attacks. The thread continued until September 4, 2001!

(Yes, I’ve been gone for 7 years. I just found out that SDMB is no longer a pay-subscription site. Good to be back…)

[miss_elizabeth]

Those are really interesting!!! Thank you for sharing them. The Google one is particularly funny to read.

[drewtwo99]

I had to stop reading the terrorist one just a few posts in because I was getting way too sad.

Thanks for sharing these

[JKellyMap]

Wow, fascinating. (I’ve just checked out the Google one so far.) Interesting
how “it’s so fast!” was the most consistent reason we liked Google.

I’d be interested in seeing people’s first reactions to GoogleEarth (was it 2006?), and later to its Street View feature. Maybe I’ll look that up when I get a chance.

[Max_Torque]

Finally found it. A thread from 2001, right after the iPod was introduced: Apple Computer: You’re kidding, right?

Full of snickering and derision for the device that would basically save Apple by creating a new revenue stream that would rake in billions.

[Pixel_Dent]

@Max_Torque

Finally found it. A thread from 2001, right after the iPod was introduced: Apple Computer: You’re kidding, right?

Full of snickering and derision for the device that would basically save Apple by creating a new revenue stream that would rake in billions.

Thanks for digging that up. It’s gone micro-viral being passed around my engineering department.

[Joey_P]

We get this a lot because she was so prevalent, but a newcomer bumped a zombie thread the other day to reply to a midthread question that Opalcat asked. It may have been a slightly off topic question to boot.

[Morbo]

Encyclopdeia Humania from 2000. Some fun quotes:

It’s possible, too, that the Internet may eventually evolve into something so massive that in 10 years, the concept of an “encyclopedia” will be obsolete. You’ll just look up stuff on the Internet. Ask Jeeves to help you write your report on Argentina, and he’ll obligingly bring up the article on Argentina for you to copy.

That’s where we’re heading, but two significant problem areas occur: 1.) copyright issues and 2.) credibilty issues (i.e., w/o any peer review, anybody can put anything up; there’s a lot of contradictory info out there).

[Spice_Weasel]

Oh, man.

Regarding the question of whether national policy can be affected by determined terrorist acts, then I’d say yes, definitely yes. If Nation X hasn’t changed their policy due to terrorist acts, then my pessimistic viewpoint is that they haven’t reached their breaking point yet.

[DCnDC]

AltaVista. Very funny.

[Annie-Xmas]

Impossible for every plane to land, a thread started on September 4, 2001.

[Quimby]

This is not quite on topic but close. I was recently watching a comedy special by Marc Maron from 2000 and while it was funny, one bit I think he would be embarrassed about was a rant about how the Internet was useless and just a fad like CBs.

[MEBuckner]

@Annie-Xmas

Impossible for every plane to land, a thread started on September 4, 2001.

That’s the one I thought of too. Definitely one of the eerier moments in SDMB history.

[JKellyMap]

@Max_Torque

Finally found it. A thread from 2001, right after the iPod was introduced: Apple Computer: You’re kidding, right?

Full of snickering and derision for the device that would basically save Apple by creating a new revenue stream that would rake in billions.

Interesting for many reasons – thanks. I’m impressed how phrases like “killer app” were already in use in 2001, while other words (“firewire”??) have fallen by the wayside.

It wasn’t ALL bad reviews. For example, people in that thread were impressed with what impressed me, too, with iPods (I didn’t have one until 2007) – that the music didn’t skip even when you shook it.