Now that I’ve run out of Retrowurst articles, I’m giving a few saved pieces a last airing before they head for their new life in the paper recycling.
Today’s gem is The 101 most useful websites from The Telegraph, compiled by David Baker in March 2008. It’s a fascinating surf (remember that?) through today’s giants in embryonic form, valiant niche oddities still battling it out and those that sank without a trace in the (ugh) “sea of sameness.”
The article is divided into sections, and here are the first three mentioned in each section.
TECHNOLOGY
Google - well, I never!
Anonymouse - here’s a distinctly retro look. Not convinced I’d try or trust it ...
iLounge - still around but if I haven’t used it in the last 18 years, I’m not going to start now
ENTERTAINMENT
Digital Spy - keeping up with the Kardashians, I guess
BBC iPlayer - yawn
Whatsonwhen - Not On Now
ADVICE & INFO
Newsmap - shame I misssed this, but it seems to have died a death. Apparently it was some new-fangled thing called an app
The Eggcorn Database - manglings of language, and jolly fascinating, too
Arts and Letters Daily - Est. 1998 - beautifully quaint
This section has the most weird stuff - for more, see picture above.
HOUSE & HOME
Noise Mapping England - killed off by a sonic boom
Prime Location - still in its prime
Rated People - as highly rated as CheckATrade? Not sure
SOCIAL
Facebook - “The most grown-up (just) of the social-networking sites that are fast taking over the world. Excellent for staying in touch with far-flung friends, though pretty good for re-establishing contact with those you hoped you had lost.” But what about all those lovely ads?
Wordpress - Fair enough ...
Ringsurf - Doesn’t seem to be ringing anyone’s bell today
For the rest, see the picture above. The ususal suspects conspicuous by their absence.
SHOPPING
GiftGen - can you feel sorry for a website? Gifts suggested for me were: a flower arranging experience, a Lord/Lady title, and a Goat (for 3rd world). On the other hand, it’s rather refreshing to go back to the days when cookies weren’t so smart and Gemini was just a starsign.
eBay - no surprises there
Who What Wear Daily - terminally unfashionable
TRAVEL
Sky Scanner - how long before the AI agents come calling?
The man in seat 61 - going from Station to Station, and good on him!
Walk It - limping along
In all of this, I get a wistful nostalgia for the internet of those days, before we were stalked and fed, at the mercy of algorithms. Amazon and YouTube are mentioned in the article, but only in passing, not in the hit parade.
It’s been a pleasant ramble around. A bit like finding an old high street of individual, independent shops, each with their own speciality and character.
Will I find Claude and ChatGPT quaint in ten or even five years’ time?
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