Wow, it's been a number of years since I thought about my Netlink. But November represents the 10th anniversary of my purchase of the Saturn Netlink and the subsequent life altering voyage this little device would bring into my life. In 1996, the internet was still virgin country - the wild west of the digital age if you will, and Netlink along with the PlanetWeb mailing list, was my first taste of what this brave, new, digital world had to offer.
I met a lot of great people back in the day; it's weird to think that the internet used to be a lot more personable place than it is today, and we did a lot of crazy things together (both online and eventually offline). Net access used to be pretty limited thing back in 1996, with the number of netizens few and far between - even fewer still with access via the Saturn Netlink, so it was only a matter of time before the majority of us found ourselves making travel arrangements to meet many of our online friends in the 'real' world. Whether state to state or across international borders, there we were. Started a few conventions and other such gatherings, and the occasional pro Netlink sites. Many of us are still friends; some friends were lost; some friends were even hitched - I wonder how those relationships worked out?
It really was a great time. You really got to know the people you were gaming with; the highs and the lows in their lives - we shared them all. But that was a decade ago, and I am in my mid-30s now and the net is very much a very different place. But I still have my Saturn Netlink . . . somewhere, I really gotta find that thing. And as soon as I do, I'll be looking to get some old school 'online' gaming on. Heck, I even resurrected my original online call sign
The Doktor is in the house
