e-Graveyard is a wiki that I started a long time ago. Its primary purpose is to become a digital museum of all the amazing technologies that come and go in our lives. There are some new sites that cover some of this ground like the TechCrunch DeadPool but they just focus on dead websites which is just one element of the E-graveyard, which covers much more, for example:
Software Cemetery
This area is for honoring the memory of software applications that are no longer with us like Microsoft BOB and even utilities like the Microsoft Binder which I still miss to this day!
There will be links to downloads if they exist and screenshots whenever possible to show what they looked like during its prime.
Hardware tombstones
We cannot neglect the importance of hardware technologies that come and go. How can we forget things that were so important to the evolution of our internet experience such as the Hayes modem? What about the US Robotics USR Sportster 56k modem!
Burial Ground for Websites & Companies
Another section of the museum covers those websites/companies that have gone to the big 404 in the sky such as these two fabled startup failures: WebVan & Kozmo
The Geek Mausoleum
This wing is a tribute to all those people who contributed much to the technological progress of mankind. Some will still be alive while others not so much physically but their memory and their work still a part of our digital lives. Examples, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Marconi, Tesla, etc.
Last Rites:
Some might consider this idea a tad bit morbid or negative, but I totally disagree! This is actually a celebration of all the contributions that have been made to our technological experience in history. This is my attempt to document everything and everyone that has made some sort of impact in our digital lives, however big or small it might have been. Also, I think this is an inspirational place to visit because sometimes we have to look back at where we came from before we can fully understand where we are today which will only assist us with envisioning our future.
Post Mordem:
I chose the wiki platform so that everyone can contribute to the e-graveyard and help build the museum into a hall of fame for all things technological.
i’m passing this on to a few friends. thanks.
i’m passing this on to a few friends. thanks.
Great stuff. I hadn’t thought about Kozmo.com in a long time.
A little story about Kozmo from the perspective of a customer that literally watched them Rise and Fall:
I had an office in the same building as Kozmo.com. It was a cool, old brick building, a converted bakery, actually, that was taken up mostly by small businesses.
Kozmo moved in when a large printing company moved out. As you may recall, at first, you could order anything with no minimums–even a candy bar or bag of chips–with free delivery.
I took them up on that and had them deliver my lunch and snacks without getting out of my chair. I figured I was their highest margin customer since delivery was just up a flight of stairs.
They grew quickly, gained some media attention and additional funding and began to gobble up some space in the building. They were one of the companies that was the talk of Seattle, but everyone kept asking, “how will they ever turn a profit?”
Eventually, it became clear that wasn’t going to happen without an adjustment to their model, and a new, more responsible CEO was brought in. First thing he did was start charging for delivery.
I already disliked Kozmo. They took all the extra parking spaces and the parking lot was constantly filled with what I called “scooter urchins,” tattooed and pierced delivery drivers were everywhere. Most were cool, but some were inconsiderate jerks that wouldn’t get out of your way unless you asked.
The parking lot (and entry) to my office began to look like a mosh pit so I was forced to find new digs — at the top of the dot com bubble where space was at a premium and commercial brokers wouldn’t return a call unless you were looking for 5,000 square feet.
When Kozmo went down in the flames I had mixed feelings. I knew the scooter urchins and coders were all losing their jobs, so I felt bad for them.
But I also felt like reason had finally prevailed.
Great stuff. I hadn’t thought about Kozmo.com in a long time.
A little story about Kozmo from the perspective of a customer that literally watched them Rise and Fall:
I had an office in the same building as Kozmo.com. It was a cool, old brick building, a converted bakery, actually, that was taken up mostly by small businesses.
Kozmo moved in when a large printing company moved out. As you may recall, at first, you could order anything with no minimums–even a candy bar or bag of chips–with free delivery.
I took them up on that and had them deliver my lunch and snacks without getting out of my chair. I figured I was their highest margin customer since delivery was just up a flight of stairs.
They grew quickly, gained some media attention and additional funding and began to gobble up some space in the building. They were one of the companies that was the talk of Seattle, but everyone kept asking, “how will they ever turn a profit?”
Eventually, it became clear that wasn’t going to happen without an adjustment to their model, and a new, more responsible CEO was brought in. First thing he did was start charging for delivery.
I already disliked Kozmo. They took all the extra parking spaces and the parking lot was constantly filled with what I called “scooter urchins,” tattooed and pierced delivery drivers were everywhere. Most were cool, but some were inconsiderate jerks that wouldn’t get out of your way unless you asked.
The parking lot (and entry) to my office began to look like a mosh pit so I was forced to find new digs — at the top of the dot com bubble where space was at a premium and commercial brokers wouldn’t return a call unless you were looking for 5,000 square feet.
When Kozmo went down in the flames I had mixed feelings. I knew the scooter urchins and coders were all losing their jobs, so I felt bad for them.
But I also felt like reason had finally prevailed.
Thanks for sharing that behind the scenes info! I enjoyed it.
I have another post on here called Bubble 2.0 where I shared links to the edreams documentary about kozmo and webvan and others.
http://thepaisano.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/bubble-20/
Thanks for sharing that behind the scenes info! I enjoyed it.
I have another post on here called Bubble 2.0 where I shared links to the edreams documentary about kozmo and webvan and others.
http://thepaisano.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/bubble-20/