What you see above was originally posted ten years ago and today Tom Ewing rightly remembers what kicked it off and puts ILX as a whole into perspective. It is and remains a near-unique creation, really, a bridge between 90s net culture and the past decade’s that like so many things was the result of happenstance which took on a logic of its own and continues to maintain it. Tom’s formal paper on his experience founding and running the site is worth a read, and this slightly outdated history provides more context. Suffice to say there have been numerous memories and reflections cropping up today; I might do something similarly via my main blog. But if not — ten years down, ten more to go!  And for all the ‘where did the time go’ sentiments I gotta say that while it’s no fountain of youth, something about the place helps keep me feel young. Why not, indeed?

(On a totally separate subject, though, the reblog quote function on here is a little weird to my mind.  Another reason why Tumblr feels more like a transitional step rather than a great leap forward!)

(— Ned R. via tomewing)