Goodbye, Musical Yahoo
2000-06-28 19:53:44
Yahoo's interface has always lacked one thing: mandatory MIDI music in the background. One webmaster had a dream to change all that... Here's his crazy story.
On June 13, a San Francisco webmaster registered MusicalYahoo.com. It reproduced the search engine's familiar interface, cluttered with all the usual pointers to Yahoo's auctions, classified ads, and messaging client. But the slick corporate HTML also played rock classics.
And disco classics.
Y.M.C.A. The Batman theme. Stayin' Alive. Funky Town.
There's an implicit criticism of e-commerce here -- something about how dotcoms colonize what was a democratic medium. I love the web, with all its trashy glory -- and it's the kitschy web pages that re-affirm the freedom of the internet. Monstrosities rise up from mis-placed sincerity, genuine devotionals to grass roots heroes. And MIDI music has always been a symbol of that. Though it's shunned by every web-design pundit on the planet, there's always some starry-eyed believers who can't resist shoving music into their page's code.
So there was something moving about stumbling into the online moment when Wall Street favorite Yahoo.com apparently met the real yahoos at trailer parks across America. The ones who thought Yahoo wasn't complete without "Iron Man" playing in the background. Those dreamers who know that any time is the right time for "Werewolf of London." Who could object to this web-based nod to the dreams of the common man?
Yahoo's lawyers, that's who. You've got 24 hours to enjoy this portal-with-percussion... Thursday, June 29 will be the day the music died.
T O P S T O R I E S
California Glory Hole attracts huge crowds
A glory hole at Napa's Lake Berryessa is drawing huge crowds. According to Chris Lee, the general manager for the Solano County Water Agency, the glory hole hasn't been active since 2019, and only restarted operations on Feb 4. (More...)
Republican State Senator busted after soliciting a teenage girl
Republican State Senator Justin Eichorn of Minnesota was arrested for soliciting a teen girl on Monday just hours after he introduced a bill proposing "Trump derangement syndrome" (TDS) as a form of mental illness. (More...)
Parents claim measles is not that bad after having only one child die
The parents of a Texas girl who died from the measles are defending their decision not to vaccinate their daughter. "She says they would still say 'Don't do the shots,'" an unidentified translator for the parents said. "They think it’s not as bad as the media is making it out to be." (More...)
Delusional rich man tries to fire town staff
"I'm mayor now" said write-in mayoral candidate and founder of Pirate’s Booty Snacks Robert Ehrlich after losing the election for Mayor of Sea Cliff, NY. Then he tried to take over the Village Hall and fire everyone. (More...)
Musk claims Xitter security is staffed by idiots
Earlier this month Xitter experienced a massive outage. In an interview, Musk told Fox Business that he believes the attack came from "IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area." (More...)
The Future Ain't What It Used To Be
Ideas have taken horrifying shape and rooted into our modern reality. (More...)
C L A S S I C P I G D O G
Songs Of Love And Special Things
Well, dear reader, there's no denying it: Spring has sprung. The air is pungent with the fertile aroma of Romance. And you know what goes with Romance, don't you? That's right, Lover, porn. And not just any porn, but the kind you can sing along to. (More...)
"Gee, I wish I was older."
"So do I." (More...)
I just came across this coolio essay by Pigdog Journal Science Editor binky wedged between two staves in the back corner of the submissions barrel. It's on the origin of the cyberbilly and is definitely de rigeur for any serious student of this fascinating sociological movement. (More...)
A Day in the Life of a Beverotologist
It was starting to look like a very boring Saturday, trapped as I was in the suburban wastelands of the outer Bay Area, so I called my Able Assistant (AA) and proposed that we perform some Spocktail field tests. For some time I've been working on creating the quintessential cinematic beverage and even tho' SMRL does most of its testing during nocturnal hours, this seemed an opportune time to roll up the sleeves of our labcoats and get some science done. While the beverotology creation tested this day (The Neurotoxin) must be deemed a success, this article focuses more the journey of the experimenters, rather then the science of beverotology. (More...)
Still Up For the Party? America's Dance Floors Are Graying
Raving over 30 doesn't have to be embarassing anymore. (More...)
Johnny Royale loves his Trackman ultra pointer thingy. It's coolio! Read all about it! (More...)