This One Goes to 27
On this day 27 years ago, on March 14, 1998, I started this here website. I’m not sure what there is to say about the ridiculous length of time that I’ve spent doing this “moderately anachronistic thing” that I haven’t already said before:
A little context for just how long that is: kottke.org is older than Google. 25 years is more than half of my life, spanning four decades (the 90s, 00s, 10s, and 20s) and around 40,000 posts — almost cartoonishly long for a medium optimized for impermanence.
As always, thank you so much for reading and for the membership support. 💞
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The very best! happy Birthday/Anniversary and thank you for it all.
Happy Birthiversary! I feel like I've been coming here almost as long (I think I got here via silk (sp?), a font I still fondly remember). Keep up the excellent work and thank you for everything, Jason. Cheers.
Happy Day!
I searched my email, and my earliest record was sharing
https://kottke.org/07/02/margaret-bourkewhite
(alas, the more things change...)
with a friend in February of 2007. Fairly sure I'd been reading for at least 2-3 years prior. Thank you for being here and doing all you do.
I can’t even remember how long I’ve been reading the site — it feels like it’s always been a part of my life. I’m grateful for your work and your voice every single day. Thank you!
I remember reading the site in 2000 and 2001. KDO is older than Gmail. But searching old gmails I found this post which you sent to wallace-l in the summer of 2004 (comments were enabled back then, too!): https://kottke.org/04/06/plain-layne-update
Happy anniversary!
And still one of the straight-up best sites on the internet. Bring back a hint of that classic Kottke Electric Green, I beg.
I just changed the site logo to the yellow-green colorway for a few days.
Ah, that takes me back! Is it too much to hope for a preference toggle to keep it that way? ;)
I remember when links didn't open in a new tab! I remember when there was no such thing as a tab! Congrats, Jason — great work and great dedication. We are grateful.
Happy Birthday-Anniv! I also searched my email for earliest kottke.org share and got this gem from 2004!
https://kottke.org/04/09/some-ken-jennings-news
Looks like the earliest entry on archive.org is May 8, 1999 (sans linked images). I remember being really thrown off by the arrival of the Josef Albers-homage nested yellow boxes design at first but growing to love it (shows up later in 99 in the archive). Happy 27th, KDO!
Think I started reading at some point in late '98, early '99? Definitely in the age of hand-coding HTML for university sites (with a work-study assistant!).
Happy Siteversary!
Hope you've had a productive and relaxing Infrastructure Week.
(new idea: there should be a greeting card section for Infrastructure Week. I'm certain someone in the beltway has already had this idea & there have likely been Infrastructure Week-themed parties)
Infrastructure Week has been a slog. I didn't get as much done as I wanted but made it over a major hurdle so I'm calling it a win. (B+)
Ok, I worked a bit this weekend (ok more than a bit) and got another thing (a funner thing) done and it feels nice.
Time to bring back Silk Screen too!
Your blog is older than "blog", my friend. Thanks for sticking around and staying awesome!
Happy Kottkeversary!
Yes, love the throwback color!
I looked for the first thing I shared from kottke.org and found that I actually emailed you before I emailed any KDO links to anyone else. This email is now older than I was when I wrote it. (That's INSANE. Time is a real trip.) I'm amused by it (I sound very young), and share it for the amusement of others:
I still say huzzah frequently but I no longer presume to advise anyone on cooking.
I have dropped in and marveled for many years and join membership when I can afford to. because Kottke is one of my favorites and it is such a wonderful thing that you are here! Happy Kottkiversary!
❤️
Thank you.
Twenty-seven years old might mean KDO is about to undergo its own Saturn return? I know absolutely nothing about astrology, but my rewrite of this phenomenon is: the things KDO needed to learn to survive the early years end up being the things most in need of unlearning for KDO to keep growing. Could be relevant!
Happy day, Jason.
Hooray!
Also! Spring is on the way. That's true every time, which is both obvious and great.
yay! thank you, Jason!
Congrats on 27 years! Although, seeing the old color reminded me that I originally thought of this site as just a spin-off of 0sil8.
Ah yes, and much bemoaning and hair-tearing-out bc the blog “ruined”
0sil8 ensued from the fans. But where would we be now if 0sil8 had chugged along, and KDO remained only an episode?Perhaps at The Whitney, viewing an “0sil8 at 28” retrospective? Or cheering Jason’s MacArthur Grant? Or ?? I’m happy the blog won out!
Or, more likely, living in a van down by the river?
Happy Anniversary!!
Came for the internet bullshit generator, have stayed ever since!
🥳
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