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[challenge entry] The first webcam was for people to know if a coffee pot was in use


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Room_coffee_pot

From the Illustrated Bizarre Facts challenge. See all 61 entries (closed)

(I helped save b3ta! monkeon schmonkeon, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 22:35, archived)
# one of my early internet projects - 1995 I think
was a page where you could vote on who made the tea in my office

I used page counters to judge the votes - not hugely accurate
(I helped save b3ta! rob, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 22:38, archived)
# you mean you cheated to avoid kettle duties
(I helped save b3ta! Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 22:40, archived)
# yes
but I think the office ignored the votes so it didn't matter hugely
(I helped save b3ta! rob, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 22:42, archived)
# fair do's
(I helped save b3ta! Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 22:43, archived)
# I'd always assumed that making the tea
is seen as one above having to do work and so people would want to do it. Like a second-rate fag break.
(I helped save b3ta! monkeon schmonkeon, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 22:46, archived)
# I wasn't working
I was looking at the internet
(I helped save b3ta! rob, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 22:47, archived)
# Yikes I remember this and my first dial up on the Internet. Command line only
Then Mosaic turned up. Since then shaved genitalia, cats doing stupid stuff and me me me me. Progress I guess.
(I helped save b3ta! spazzcaptain Misses Valin @, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 23:22, archived)
# The internet was better in the 90s
before all the people turned up.
(I helped save b3ta! monkeon schmonkeon, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 23:31, archived)
# Pffff. internet.
I was having dial-up cybersex on Commodore BBSes before any of the posers started [air quotes] logging on [/air quotes].

It occurs to me that there's not much difference between "I was into them before they were cool" and "When oi were a lad…"
(MrCanoehead Marzipaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!, Mon 24 Dec 2012, 12:54, archived)
# The difference is that one is born of arrogance
and one is nostalgia, I guess.
(I helped save b3ta! monkeon schmonkeon, Mon 24 Dec 2012, 14:54, archived)
# I had no idea.
They had a coffee-cam at Uni at Bath. It was only allowed as a machine learning experiment, otherwise we couldnt have had a coffee-machine.
(bovine intervention, Sun 23 Dec 2012, 23:38, archived)
# This is actually very interesting.
Relatively of course. But it's good to know that the original use for this technology was as pointless as what it continues to be used for.
(Woodlouse say it with flowers. Send her a Triffid, Tue 25 Dec 2012, 3:21, archived)