You are a visionary, Jeremy!  Thanks for this incredible service to our
field.  I'm glad it is being archived and saved for future generations to
research.

And all from Alabama....

Michele

On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 10:15 PM, Jeremy Butler <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Happy birthday to us!
>
> Twenty years ago, BEFORE THE WORLD WIDE WEB EXISTED, Screen-L was born. Its
> first test message was launched out onto BITNET (the "Because It's Time"
> Network) on Friday, March 15, 1991, at 7:42 (and 11 seconds) pm, CST. It
> initially lived on UA1VM, the University of Alabama's #1 virtual machine--a
> mainframe computer... big iron!
>
> 1991 was the paleolithic era for networked computing. The Internet was not
> yet the standard platform for email delivery. (Anyone remember the horror
> that was cc:Mail?) The Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) was principally used for
> services such as Gopher and file transferring via FTP). The World Wide Web
> had its public debut on August 6, 1991, but Web browsers that could handle
> images were still two years away.
>
> So, in 1991, Screen-L was kinda cutting edge. I can remember leading
> workshops at the Society for Cinema Studies (before it added "Media" to its
> name) on how academics might use this new-fangled electronic mail thing for
> scholarly purposes.
>
> One fun thing about Screen-L is that every message in its 20-year history
> is
> archived here:
>
> http://bama.ua.edu/archives/screen-l.html
>
> The archive provides an interesting history of the field of media studies.
> And this archive makes me wonder: 20 years from now, will be able to look
> back at Facebook's and Twitter's data with the same ease? The short answer
> is, obviously not. Both of those services make it quite onerous to archive
> their material. And wouldn't it be interesting to have a crystal ball and
> see if such services will even exist 20 years hence?
>
> A few thanks are in order:
>
> I must thank the University of Alabama for hosting Screen-L since day one
> and thus making our longevity possible.
>
> And thanks must also go to the hundreds of Screen-L subscribers over the
> years. As Screen-L's moderator, I've been grateful for the civility that
> (most) folks have shown.
>
> On we go for another 20 years (and more?)!
>
> Regards,
>
> Jeremy Butler
> Screen-L founder
>
>
> -- First Screen-L Message --
>
> This is a test of SCREEN-L.
>
> If you receive this, please notify the list owner:  [log in to unmask]
>
> Thanks.
>
> ----------
>      When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal.
>                              --Richard Nixon
>                                Interview with David Frost (1977)
> ----------
>
> |                                      | Bitnet   :        JBUTLER@UA1VM |
> | Jeremy G. Butler - - - - - - - - - - | Internet : [log in to unmask] |
> |                                      | GEnie    :           J.BUTLER27 |
> |                                                                        |
> | Telecommunication & Film Dept * The University of Alabama * Tuscaloosa |
>
>
>
>
> --
> Jeremy Butler
>
> www.TVStyleBook.com
> www.ScreenLex.org
> www.ScreenSite.org
> www.TVCrit.com
> www.ShotLogger.org
> www.AllThingsAcoustic.org
>
> Professor - TCF Dept. - U Alabama
>
> ----
> Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
> University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu
>



-- 
Michele Hilmes
Professor of Media and Cultural Studies
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Communication Arts
University of Wisconsin-Madison

----
Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.ScreenSite.org