Boarding the Social Train : Here I Go.

I have been at the Internet/web thing for quite a while now. I got my first computer in 1984 or so, it was a TI99 (Texas Instruments) It came with TI Basic, Uggg. Next I was online with a SLIP account during college with my Mac Classic II(I think that was it).Wow, online without being in a computer lab... what a concept! And my first browsing experience was using Mosaic in the computer lab where I worked to pay for beer - that was on a Mac, I don't know the model but it was a horizontal case with a monitor sitting on it(5760 or 6730 something, I don't know). Even at the University it was slow at first anyway - But I think its because the serving sites just

Image via Wikipedia

didn't have the bandwidth and or the processing power to handle the hundreds of thousands of students looking at these new graphical "sites" for the first time. I know I was hooked. But by the mid 90's it was flying.

My first site in oh, say... 93/94 or so was called DigitalMe.com. Unfortunately I was shot down by my fellow IT geeks and eventually let it go away. Imagine if I actually made something of that site and what it could be today... I shutter. As the years moved on I saw many trends and interesting ideas, some working and still around and some long gone alog with the rest of the 90's venture dollars...hahaha.

Excerpt from the 90's techboom as I saw it. - Joe Techie - "I was thinking of an idea that I could maybe turn into a concept and possibly create the basis for discussing an application - Can I have 3.7 Million please?" VC Guy - "Why Certainly You Can!! Here you go..."

Well the title here was boarding the social train so, back on topic. I have subconsciously kept away from the trendy social online applications (save for google chat, ha ha), but not by some high and mighty platform... but I guess I just didn't see the purpose and I have been building software for the last 8 years with little vacation - so my head has been in sales and development and its easy to get all caught up in your work and realize you really need to get out of the office (or home office in my case).

So, I boarded the train not only with this blog but I also created a Facebook account for the first time, you can find me at http://www.facebook.com/neilsfamily. Over there (facebook) will be for family items and and the usual keeping in touch with relatives and friends I have not seen for many years. However, over here at the blogger/Blogspot I get to talk about the old days of using gopher, all command line email, to the newest topic Social Marketing which has Tribes, microtagging, Long Tail, nicheologists, RSS, XML, SEO, and experts for each and all, and on and on! But certainly Cars and Motorcycles are what I created this blog for in the first place. I have to say that reminissing for this article has me feeling old now - my 20th HS reunion this summer, 2 kids and I thought back then I would be retired by now and out on my 35' custom boat. Okay, So thats enough from me today, have a good one everybody.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Where's My Boat?

Thanks for reading. Got a story on your first browser memory? please leave a comment!

-NE

Check Out StreetFire

StreetFire.net is one of my frequented sites. Not only for the funny videos posted there as my sample below shows, but they also give a great selection of categories covering everything from Auto Shows and other events, Motorcycles (and not just crashing like these two impressive riders which I can only assume have been riding for less than a month)but also many types of auto racing and a whole lot more... too much to list. Its easy to navigate and has plenty of video to keep you entertained for hours while you are at work and have nothing to do but look busy. Have a look at this video and then hop on over to StreetFire.net to see what I am talking about. Have fun and let me know what you think of the site by posting a comment below! Note: Video is loading if you see a blank space below - give it a second, it will show up.


Check Out StreetFire’s New Homepage!

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370Z Nismo - autoweek teaser with link + My take and a few Z photos.

By GREG MIGLIORE
2009 Nissan Nismo 370Z gains power, starts at less than $40,000

The latest iteration of Nissan’s factory-tuned Z car comes in at just less than $40,000 as it goes on sale Wednesday in the United States. Autoweek (06/17/09) More>>

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Hello my fellow Z nerds. above is a teaser from an autoweek article, and I found the image really interesting as I have generally seen the car from the corner shots or front view. Now this (above story) is the Nismo S version remember so I have added a few images. a n y w a y... the images below are of 2 370Z's at a dealership. Now back to what I was going to say about the Nismo version - if you put your thumb over the front wheel and hood it very much looks like a 911, or a GT3 like this white Racer!... silly Nismo. Here is another great story on the Nismo!!

Image by caroverload via Flickr

Image by www.unlimitedclass.com via Flickr

Image by caroverload via Flickr

Formula 1 - Get the De-Fib out, she is in cardiac arrest!

If you follow F1 racing then you know that right now the sport is in serious trouble. With very angry followers pointing the finger straight at Max Rufus Mosley, president of the FIA shown here. At the center of the problem are new rules for next season but most controversial is the implementing of a budget spending cap. This is supposed to level the playing field, allow other teams not currently in Formula 1 to be able to compete without having a $300M budget. As I am writing this story I noticed a new feed from one of my subscribed blogs that headlines "European carmakers ready to pull out F1 teams" - from F1-Live.com. So I was not overstating the seriousness of the potential disastrous outcome of this mess Max has led the FIA into. It was also my understanding that Renault has put their suppliers for their formula one team on notice that they may not be in need of their products for the 2010 season. Formula 1 is an important sport for the development of consumer products. At first we all think of Ferrari who expresses through their marketing of racing developed technologies in their consumer cars. However, I think we tend to forget that Toyota, BMW, Renault (ok, not so much Renault because they don't sell here in the US), Mercedes etc, absolutely have an impact on the products they sell and much of the technology is due to development from their racing efforts. And one last note on this topic as I could go on and on; Many of the teams that could be leaving F1 racing are the teams that built this sport, its famous names, hero's to kids who went on to become professional racers, and the very heritage itself would be destroyed... all by a few guys who keep making new rules year after year and now may have gone too far and are on the very edge of having a somber collapse.

Well make sure you check out the link on the euro car makers statements made today and feel free to post a comment here. Also make yourself heard on the F1-live.com forum.

~zracer