"It's something called the Internet"
Here's Tom Brokaw in 1994 talking about "something called the Internet," with guest appearances by Eric Schmidt (then at Sun) and Bill Gates. Bill tells Tom that "It's very hip to be on the Internet now." (Via Infectious Greed)
the latest
latest episodes
Bill Gates: "It's very hip to be on the Internet now." -- This doesn't explain why IE was such a mess when win95 shipped.
>"It's very hip to be on the internet right now."
With the way his voice cracked, I bet that sound bite continues to haunt gates today.
Interesting indeed. Can one of you please direct me to where I may acquire this... "the internet"?
I'm getting a message telling me that the Hulu broadcast can only be shown in the US. Yup, that's the Internet all right.
Nobody but Brokaw could lend such ominous dread to the question, "Does this mean that bedtime stories in the year 2000 will come from a PC?"
*shudder*
It's very hip to be on the americanet. Borders are so very 1990. Globalize now!
I started my first FT job out of college in Fall 93 at a big telecom co. Soon after I started, at a big company meeting some guy got up and was talking about the information superhighway and world wide webs and such. Now, back then I did have email but it involved exclamation points, not dots, an I viewed it via the mailx command. I thought all of this was interesting, but I couldn't understand how a company like Coca Cola would ever need to have one of these websites. Made no sense to me. BTW, I just checked out cocacola.com. A pretty useless website :-)
No can watch in Australia.
Oy, this was a Jimmy Fallon remix (however slight.) The "CD ROM player" at the end was the giveaway.
By now I would think it's general netiquette not to link to hulu.
could you post the torrent file for the afore mentioned video?
Honestly! and the big media companies wonder why we prefer sites like mininova and TPB for our multimedia.
Video can only be streamed in US. It doesn't even let me know the name of the video. =\
Please repost this on youtube...
Does this mean a future where our failings will be mocked by a musical cat?
It's something called the Internet, but not necessarily available on it. Hulwho?
I want that watch.
We want Hulu in Europe, down with geoban!
What's that giant thing the lady sticks a laptop into?
freddie the fish! i loved those games!
So people are only now complaining about Americanet? Bloody hell. You should try living in countries without awesomecore bandwidth - sometimes the bb.net front page is bordering on unloadable with it's vid-out-to-the-max posts. I guess that's where the advertising is coming from.
note that I'm still coming back though. I can't help but love bb.net. Please though - I remember when the relevant torrent was one of the first things that would get posted as an update...the good old days. I'm just off to whittle some.
MUSICMAN, just stop loading before it loads the videos and open just the link of your interests.
Actually, for a report from 1994, I thought that was entirely reasonable. I was expecting something out of Look Around You.
STOP using Hulu. This whole 'our video library can currently only be streamed in the United States' is crap. COMEON>>>>>>
back in 94 when i was in college, we were told it was the Information Superhighway. We surfed with Netscape on old ass Apple LC II's with an isdn line. Thats when i came up with Spokexx and it's stuck ever since.
3.14chan (nice name): the bigger problem is not so much the vids - as annoying as they are - it's the flash on firefox on linux cpu cycles that are the killer. When you surf the web on a netbook in foreign lands with >3 add ons, it's performance goes to the shitter...there are a lot of variables in there, and bb.net isn't the only one (netbook cpu's, ram, flash, linux, etc)...but tbh, it was really only when surfing bb.net (or theage.com.au ) that the problem actually made working impossible...
While looking for a version of that video i could see from Australia, i came across this one from CBC about this thing called "Internet". Not the same video, but still kinda funny video from early 90's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1A9lYC3g-0
Why don't you just start a Boing Boing America for all your America only content. Save the rest of the world (it's a big place) the annoyance.
I owned that wristwatch! :D
Yes, welcome to the 'hip' internet!... soon to be abused be overzealous American-centric IP-hobgoblins who block international users!
I immediately thought of this exchange between Professor Frink and Apu:
Frink: Well, sure, the Frinkiac-7 looks impressive, don't touch it, but I predict that within 100 years, computers will be twice as powerful, 10,000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them.
Apu: Could it be used for dating?
Frink: Well, theoretically, yes. But the computer matches would be so perfect as to eliminate the thrill of romantic conquest.
"Nobody but Brokaw could lend such ominous dread to the question, "Does this mean that bedtime stories in the year 2000 will come from a PC?"
*shudder*"
Turns out, no. BoingBoing salutes the Author's Guild!
If something can't be viewed by anyone anywhere via any internet connection, it should never be posted on Boing-Boing.
This terrible outrage calls for a Unicorn Tears Chaser.
In the spirit in which it was intended,
-- MrJM
Oh the irony of posting a link supposedly laughing at the naivete of those times with a US-only video "provider" service that can't seem to escape 1994 itself.
Though I'm sure you didn't realize that; otherwise you wouldn't have posted it.
People get really upset when they can't watch a newsclip from 1994... honestly non-american interwebs users, it wasn't a huge loss.
Please stop linking to Hulu. You are spitting in the face of your substantial non-US-based reader base every time you do this.
Please don't support sites that region-block the Internet. Let's make it an unacceptable practice, like kicking puppies.
There is no video. The internet is a lie.
I'd love BB to set a cookie in my browser that turned off all the videos that try to load and instead gave me a static image and a link.
I know the ice cream is free here, but cookies are not all bad either.
Fuck Americo-centric HULU
daemon gets +1 internet (lie or not)
I remember this ...
There were news stories about "the computer internet". For example:
"There is a controversy brewing at the university about student access to the computer internet."
As if there were other kinds of internets that required clarification. Like the refrigerator internet, or the garage door internet.
And then during the rush to go online, news casts would invite you to "visit BCTV news online, at..."
(and they would literally read out every character -- I am not kidding)
"H T T P, colon, forward slash, forward slash, W W W, dot, globalinternet, dot, C O M, forward slash, subscriber, forward slash, global, forward slash, news, forward slash, BCTVNews"
I also remember when the Prime Minister of Canada got his first email address, and they held a press conference to announce that Jean Chretien was now on The Internet ... at primeminister@chicken.org
and oh yes:
Get off my lawn
Yo, whiners - Firefox with NOSCRIPT is all you need (but you should also load adblock, of course). Take control of your own browser and quit blaming BB for your lamosity. Just because there is a cake doesn't mean you have to repeatedly slam your face into it. It's not the baker's fault.
@Musicman, it's called flashblock. It's a firefox plugin that prevents a flash animation from loading until you click on it.
But what if it's Schroedinger's Cake? Would the baker even have an oven?
Would the baker even have an oven?
He would, but it may or may not be on.
hmm, 'Not available' ..
from our end we can only LOL @ the irony as the article appears to us..
here is a screenshot for all those that actually got to watch the video.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/giveaphuk/3630753099/
@#19 People keep complaining about it because that seems to be about the only thing we can do. Perhaps if enough people complain all the time, Hulu et al might put some more effort into trying to find a solution.
@41 noscript won't make HULU work outside the US, which is the issue.
BTW that's bold of you to call us out anon.
In '93 Newsweek didn't even have a word for it other than 'interactive'
http://www.digitalartform.com/archives/2005/06/newsweek_intera.html
Quit with the Hulu. Seriously.
If the only place a video can be found is hulu, should you never then link the video no matter its interestingness?
That's bloody stupid. If you can find an alternate link to the same video that works, consider suggesting it to the BB staff. If not, stfu.
Just because YOU can't see it doesn't mean NO ONE should.. even if the ultimate source is being a dickwad and is wrong.
The readership of boingboing isn't going to make hulu change its policies. Its' a complex issue.
"route around the damage" means HUMANS route around the damage. Do the goddsdamned work.
Screw HULU big time ... and youtube starts getting the hang of localization too ... had several youtube videos 'not available in your country' ... great .. make the world smaller again !
Just Sayin'.
The world is bigger than the USA, folks. I can't blame Americans for being myopic, but don't get mad when we point it out to you.
THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN THE USA.
@ #41 Anonymous
Noscript is malware. The author was paid by an advertiser to allow it's cookies to secretly track you and preferentially attack it's competitor's ads.
A word from Amsterdam, Holland: I just added Hulu to my Adblock List, so I won't have to see their apologies ever again. I agree with Ju2tin that by embedding Hulu you implicitly endorse region-blocking.
+1 for not posting stuff from Hulu. I agree that embedding Hulu you implicitly endorse region-blocking. Not something BoingBoing should do.
Noen#54: Noscript is malware. The author was paid by an advertiser to allow it's cookies to secretly track you and preferentially attack it's competitor's ads.
Do you really know this? Can you say advertisera nd how much was paid? Can I go back through old versions of NoScript to see the source that makes this happen? I have several versions saved locally, and the rest are probably sitting on AMO for anyone to download, unpack and read.
Not to pick on anyone .. if someone else said this then they steered you wrong. I see NoScript as a very good thing, and I would dread surfing without it. NoScript is the very first add-on I install with a new Firefox. NoScript and AdblockPlus make the web safer and saner.
IMHO.
@51 Talia: those of you who can actually see the video are the ones who need to suggest alternate links to the BB staff.
Why?
Because the rest of us can't see the *&%$ thing so we don't know what it is so we can't find an alternate source.
HTH HAND
^ which advertiser and how much
#50 Talia
Wait, did you say that people complaining about hulu should STFU? Aren't Americans supposed to endorse free speech? Even though I'm not American I'm going to use my own right to say hulu sucks and every time I see a BB link to a hulu video it pees me off.
Hooray! More region-specific DRM/blocking! I can't watch it!
+1 for not encouraging Hulu here.
Seeing their "the internet is only the US, sod off" message is the visual equivalent of fingernails on a blackboard.
Considerably more people use the Internet outside the US than inside it.
I, for one, am outraged that I can't save the video from hulu and upload to youtube for the rest of the world to see. Fuck you, Hulu (but thanks to BB for posting the video).
Is there any geek superpower out there that can crack the methodology of Adobe Media Server? Cause the world is demanding it...
(don't blame us!)
And here's yet another non-american adding his vote for never, ever linking to Hulu again from BB. This kind of shit is what the internet is not supposed to be like.
But Daniel, wait! It's a good video, the old yanks just have to figure out how to out-hulu the HULU(C) aaargh
we'll get there
If BB ever links to Hulu again, please do the honourable thing and provide links to VPNs and instructions for setting up tunnelling so we god-damned foreigners can appear to be in the USA and see the videos.
Otherwise what is the point in publishing in a global medium?
@Talia
Besides being irritating to those of us outside the US, I'd say that the region-locking DRM in this video is against many of the things Boing Boing editors stand for. I suspect it would not have been posted if the editor was aware of the region locking (or had thought about it beforehand).
@DRURANIUM:
Unfortunately the region protection is done server-side, based on the IP address requesting the video (yes, every IP is associated with a particular country/region). So it's not that the content is being provided but can be broken/extracted, it simply will not be provided. A VPN with endpoint in the US is probably the only kind of way that this would work.
...But I don't have any interest in breaking and stealing their content anyway. If the content industry can't extract itself from a region-based distribution model that it never should have gotten into in the first place, well, screw them.
Another vote for refusing to give Hulu any traffic as long as they continue Geoblocking.
What do you want to achieve by posting stuff that we can't see?
I would begin to think that YouTube soon should be also the object of a non linking campaign. The amount of inane region blocking is growing relentlessly.
But most certain Hulu should not grace the links of any self respecting site in the net.
If they want a balkanized Internet let them have it, we, the people (really, it is that serious) *must* shun them until they decide to join the nets in the terms it was intended, or they can create a ringfenced monstrosity of their won.
Can someone explain to me WHY is hulu blocked in other countries?
This clip clearly shows just how much Brokaw was exactly like the Simpsons portrayal of TV newscasters as totally self absorbed idiots. You could see Tom mentally re-calculating his inflated salary and other benifits, all the while feining interest in his conversation with Bill.
[People: try not to use IP-masking proxies to view this. The proxies are being used for more important stuff right now, see other articles]
@Talia: "If the only place a video can be found is hulu, should you never then link the video no matter its interestingness?"
BB can do two things:
1) Do the Right Thing, refusing to support them with traffic and hence ad revenue.
2) Say "Sure we have principles about DRM and such, but only when it's convenient and doesn't get in the way of our LULZ!"
Are you really saying you prefer the latter? There's an entire netful of amusing vids out there.
#71 Licencing issues acording to Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/support/geofilter
And they probably only get paid from advertisers within US. It cost money to stream video, why do it when you don't get any compensation.
Interestingly, I've recently come across some sites were subscribtion only content (cheap text, not bandwidth and license expensive video) are available without subscription outside US. It kind of make sense, inside USA they already have people willing to pay for the stuff, but in other regions they have to create a demand.
Not going to read all the comments - just really disappointed that BoingBoing would link to a US only video. Shame.
While I agree that Hulu's decision to block non-American IPs is silly, you're not going to convince us to stop embedding Hulu videos by accusing us of being "Amerocentric" like we're purposefully going out of our way to exclude anyone. Talia has it right: if you can find the video somewhere else where everyone can watch, then by all means link to it in the comments. If we see it, we often even go back and add it to the post.
As for why Hulu blocks non-USian IPs, I would imagine it's because there are licensing deals for all that content that they show that are brokered separately in each region. Hulu probably has to block viewers from around the world to please the license holders.
Are you kidding me?! It has a CD-ROM drive?!
Hulu would LOVE to be available worldwide. Why the hell wouldn't they? First and foremost, it's a matter of licensing content in different countries. Other people own the rights to the content, and the deals they've made to let Hulu play them so far only apply to the United States. The gears of foreign licensing grind slowly.
Also, it's about ads. Remember, it's a legal way to see copyrighted material (which costs them money) for free, and they're able to pay for it by selling ads. If they can't find someone willing to buy ads to be seen by Nigerian viewers, then offering the content to Nigeria isn't viable.
Wow, people love to whine. I can't see it either, and it's annoying... but as if BB is trying to be "amerocentric"? Come on...
Rightsholders have stupid policies about who is and isn't allowed to see their stuff. That's why we can steal their content and feel good about it.
End of story. I should think BB readers of all people should be in the know about this quiet little trade-off.
Dewi has it right - you're all anti-DRM and against copyright abuses when it suits you, but you'll post links to Hulu and tell everyone to just "find it yourself somewhere."
Hypocrite much?
It's not so easy finding alternatives now, is it? Either you're committed to your anti-DRM stance and therefore need to find the alternative sources yourself, or you're all just blowing hot air.
Not that I can try this myself, since I live in Africa and would have no hope of even loading Hulu, but anyone tried a free proxy? Or Tor? Spoof a US IP and watch the vids.
And to the lazyasses, get off IE and into Firefox, grab AdBlock, FlashBlock, NoScript, and ImgLikeOpera to cut your bandwidth usage down to 10% of normal and not die a horrible death every time you open BB et al.
Now, back into my lurky-cave
Hulu is just one more incidence of the trend to create and enforce anarchronistic geopolitical borders online. The whole point of the internet is connection. Can you imagine a phone company refusing to connect your call because you were calling someone that lived elsewhere? That is how retarded Hulu is.
As for the microsoft plugs...am I being censored yet?
I think the date is a little off here.. Java (or HotJava) wasn't announced until '95...
So ... the subtext to this is that Hulu is entirely un-hip. (And by extension sites that use its links?)
Kudos!
How much effort would it have been to add a disclaimer?
Like "We know it sucks that Hulu are being geoblocking asswipes but this clip is worth posting and Hulu's the only source for the content. We're working on getting everyone else here a version that can be seen across the world".
And you can also add it to those &^%@ing comedy central clips.
I suppose it's the bitter irony of the clip that has drawn the response.
I had that watch. The screen flashed lines and a camera + decoding software in the watch processed the information. I remember it being pretty useless as soon as you could store numbers in cell phones.
Dear Boing Boing editors,
Could you please, please not link or embed region-locked video?
You are a blog. You live on the Internet. The Internet recognizes no foreign borders. It views censorship as damage and routes around it. It abhors DRM.
Whenever a country censors the Internet you shake your fists in anger at their shortsightedness. When a company implements DRM you shreik in outrage at their audacity. Information wants to be free, right?
Then why do you support short-sighted video companies with region locks on their streams? Why do you link and promote such short-sighted and backwards thinking media conglomerates. Such dishonourable web citizens.
If you believe in what you preach, stop posting region locked video. Period.
Every American is amerocentric. (Boingboing is also ribaldly west coast centric at that) You cannot help it, it isn't a policy or deliberate. Constant vigilance, training and reminders each and every time it happens from non-Americans is what you pay for forgetting. Inadvertent mistakes are still galling.
@Joel:
Wow, that's really disappointing. I thought Boing was the one site I could count on to have principles about this stuff every time.
It's not that most of us are upset about Boing being Amerocentric (though I'm sorry, after your comments I do suspect that you're a little insensitive to this because you are in the US). Partly it's your linking to stuff like this supports content industry that got itself into a stupid, broken region-based content distribution system, and by 2009 *still* doesn't seem to be serious at all about fixing this system.
It's not exactly (or at least completely) Hulu's fault that content distribution is broken this way and that they don't have the rights to distribute the video outside the US (though it is the fault of many of the companies that OWN Hulu). And of course it costs money to run a video website.
But for whatever reasons, this has that sort of DRM and supporting it has some moral issues. You seem to be saying "We have principles, but we can bend them if we're posting a video of something of mediocre historical interest".
And someone earlier was right, if Boing alone stops linking to the restricted Hulu videos, it's not going to force the situation to be fixed. But if the general feeling among the Internet community is "don't link to Hulu vids, they have stupid content restriction rules", then there is significant pressure to get these issues resolved sooner. Boing is a big site for helping to set that tone. Hell, like other people said, even putting a comment in the text to acknowledge (or remind the USers of) the problem would have been a good step.
OK, how about it BB posts all the various work-arounds for viewing restricted video along with each video post? That would make it so easy for all to see all.. AND make it so easy for the assholes who want to restrict everything to identify holes and plug them. THINK, dammit.
"accusing us of being "Amerocentric" like we're purposefully going out of our way to exclude anyone"
Actually, thinking about this more...You're not going out of your way to exclude anyone, but you're KNOWINGLY excluding a large number of your readers. Is this really that important to post?
Like someone earlier said, it's just irritating. Seeing the "Hey, you're outside the US so sod off" is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Sorry if we're testy about the issue, but we are.
It's an amazing video because originally Gates downplayed the Internet as a fad. While Apple, IBM, DEC, Mosaic, and Xerox were moving forward, Microsoft was dragged in last still pushing it's private networking technology.
Here they present him like he's the leader of the change. It's an interesting "forget" of history.
Almost hilariously, when the image I saw read: "We're sorry, currently our video library can only be streamed within the United States..." I thought, given the title of the post it, was going to be about how annoying all these services which look up your IP address to restrict your access are. Of course then I realized that other people really reading the post *could* actually see a video in place of that image: Then I was sad...