So we have the nerds over at Yahoo! and Google to thank for solving the problem of typing in "Boy Scouts" and finding a link that says "Click here if you want to punch a boy scout in the face." I certainly remember the internet being limited back then. In '95 you still couldn't write a paper based on information you found on the internet because there wasn't a lot out there. I seem to remember a lot of cheesy personal websites and chat rooms. But at 15 I was still more interested in driving and girls than fartin' around on the internet. I mean, you can only bust into the catholic chat room and type "I worship Satan" so many times before it gets old. But you can't deny the impact organizing the information and it's availability has done for the internet. And in my opinion it was only a matter of time before advertisers and marketers found a way to overload it-like they do everything else.

The 'Power People' segment was interesting because these guys Tom, Fanning and Zuckerberg have certainly changed how the internet is used. I agree that the internet is quickly becoming directed by the public and our interest. I didn't know about Digg before the piece but I like the concept. Their site is a little messy and graphically lacking in my opinion but the idea is there and that's what matters.

I remember the Napster days very well. I used to sit on that site and download tons of music. I was always looking for the files of my favorite bands covering other bands. For example one of my favorite downloads was Halen covering one of my favorite Kiss songs. I guess some guy recorded it at a concert or something. And Napster opened the door for any band to get noticed by uploading their music. I was in a band at the time and I remember us being stoked about putting our music 'out there.' Unfortunately, none of us knew how to put music onto a computer. Too bad. Johnny Scantron and the #2's could have been something great :-/

Car websites usually have great graphics and I've always liked acura's website. http://www.acura.com/. It's clean, has a nice picture of the vehicle and you clearly know where to go to find what you want. And of course, http://www.apple.com! The king! Again smooth graphics, cool colors and maybe it's just me but when I see apple products I get a anxious. As in, my brain says "Oooh, I want one!" And lastly, a company I used to work with when I was in the solar industry, http://www.schueco.com/web/us/. The site itself isn't overly impressive. It's simple and easy to navigate but they have great graphics of how PV system and solar heating systems work. I always found that really helpful when trying to explain to customers how the systems worked.

I hope we'll be vamping up our websites in class. I'd like to get something sleek like these sites.