Unfolding Old Notes

I have been sitting on one of my favorite blogs for a while now. It's yet another day-blog that was abandoned. But unlike other day-blogs, it wasn't merely the ramblings of some teen who got bored in the school library; This blog contains a small slice of beautiful thought, the likes of which I have found unrivaled. This is the blog of the Cautioner. (http://thecautioners.blogspot.com/)


Both the blog and the account behind it were formed in July 2008. The author, (an anonymous entity known only as "Cautioners"), published the only actual post. Almost two years later on May 30'th, 2010 the blog appears to have been hacked and a spam link was posted with no title. No other activity or content has appeared on this blog.


Based on a few context clues, I have reason to believe that the author is female. However, the author covered their tracks quite well. I have tried many different strategies for getting in touch with them, but to no avail.


I wish I had more to say about this blog, but any thoughts I have seem to be better summarized in the author's own words. Now, I'm not ordinarily one to repost someone else's work without some amount of commentary, but I have seen many blogs glitch, get deleted, or outright disappear. I wanted to share this author's work with you, and I wanted this to serve as an archive of its existence lest something happen to it. I hope that this will spark some interest. All credit to the author known only as "Cautioners". Thank you.
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we'll still have our stories

I'm looking for somewhere to stay. Somewhere empty, but with plenty of space that I can fill up. I've been around for more years than I'd like to admit. I've called places home and then left when things got too heated. But I'll start over here now, not completely ridding myself of every other place but really just treating them like childhood stomping grounds. I can walk past them and remember holding hands with new friends and never being able to "do" the monkey bars, but then as I leave, I'll remember why I always swore to never go back.

There was always so much more for us, but we knew we had to leave to find it. We said we'd never find it in that stuffy little town. Guess we never have, but when I look around, it sure makes sense. We've never left.

This isn't like me. This is open. Anonymous, I guess, unless you know me by chance. Congratulations (?) if you do, since I don't know how anyone would find me. I've always shown off my hiding places. Even that cluster of trees in that field; the one that was cleared ten or eleven years ago, and now it's an expensive neighborhood. The place I used to go to think and pretend is now somebody's bedroom. They might feel weird if they knew that one.

I want to say things and run the risk of them being seen. I guess it gives me a little rush after hiding it all for a while now. But I can't be tracked with this. It's as safe as I've ever been, and the letters on this screen just smile with that thought. Anyone can see it, but nobody will get attached enough to care. I'll be left alone, and if I'm going to keep living with my head the way it is, it'll teach me that alone is okay.

Hi. I have an imagination. It's the greatest gift of all. Sadly, everyone else lost theirs years ago.

This is a last ditch effort and I'm making it up as I go along.

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Cautioner said they don't think anyone could get attached enough to their letter to care, but evidently I have begged to differ. This blog will always have a place in my mind and heart, and if it ever becomes possible to find the author I will do it. Long live the Cautioner.

Long live the King

Finding The Resort

(Word of warning: This is gonna be a nerdy one, so buckle in and bear with me please.)

Please indulge my tale of a trip I took to a place called The Resort. The Resort is not like other realms I have visited as it does not reside in my Blogger Kingdom. It exists in a kingdom locked in the past and is a testament to the ingenuity of the early internet users. Allow me to elaborate:

The Resort (http://www.resort.com) was founded in 1992. It was one of many infamous "Geek Houses" at the time, but it quickly became one of the most popular and beloved. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of Geek Houses, it was a term given to communal homes inhabited by students of UCSC (University of California, Santa Cruz) who were computer enthusiasts. At the time, the internet was primarily populated by self-dubbed "computer geeks". And since there were several homes being occupied by geeky roommates, the various groups began starting their own webpages using their school's web hosting resource ("UCSCB"). (Here is an archive of the other Geek Houses for those of you interested in vintage websites: http://www.geek.org/geekhouse.html)

The Geek House known as The Resort began to take off in 1994 when the original seven house members began to create lots of interactive content and push the boundaries of the internet's capabilities. The site continued to grow in activity until it's disbandment in January of 1997 when some of the members moved out and left to start new Geek Houses. The site itself serves as an archive and is quite archaic, boasting a simple, white background and a basic set of links that lead to the main pages. Many pages are not able to be found with searches and are not linked within the site's main pages, leaving a more manual approach to browsing different directories necessary. Also, many aspects of the site suffer from serious link rot as all but two of the directories seem to be inaccessible.

But aesthetics aside, the site's content is unique and humorous. The Resort is portrayed as a sort of faux-cult complete with hierarchy, history, rituals, and a creatively cryptic way of relaying the events of their real lives. To simplify, it was a house full of nerdy college students who banded together and started a website that operated under the sardonic guise that their home was a cult inhabited by aliens. It's quite entertaining; not only for the humor but for the charm that the early internet had when it was so open, empty, and left to one's whimsy.

Since the website was published somewhat anonymously, I was determined to solve the mystery of the Resort's identity. I had concluded that in order to claim I had conquered the Resort, I must track down the location of either the house it was founded in or one of its members. This was going to be difficult for several reasons: First, the descriptions I found of the house were not enough for me to narrow down the search. Also, all the geeks of UCSC had pseudonyms that came complete with backstories, (resulting in greater difficulty tracking them out-of-character). I was at a loss; but I decided if I could just locate the founder of the Resort I could claim a victory.

The name of the Resort's founding father was Banshee. (You can see his 'lore' here: http://www.geek.org/login_lore/loginlore_book.html) Banshee's site directories were one of only two member's directories that still functioned. But through viewing the archived site usage I was able to find extensions that weren't accessible through other parts of the site. I eventually came across information that helped me track down the Resort's most prominent figure: John Michael Vinopal. From there, it was child's play to find out that Mr. Vinopal is now 50 years old and living comfortably in Berkeley, CA. I found more information, but I don't consider it to be worth sharing. What I will say is that I now possess the ability to contact Banshee. Perhaps I will make a follow-up post if I ever get an interview with him. Until then, I've cracked the mystery of The Resort. Thank you for tagging along on this uncharacteristically esoteric adventure.

Long live the King

In Memoriam of a Hopeless Romantic

Today we mourn the loss of a beloved contribution to the Blogger kingdom. Our dear Sarah of "The Life of a 25 Year Old Hopeless Romantic" blog announced on 12/02/18 that after an entire decade of blogging [since 05/22/08] she will be attempting to novelize the story entailed in her blog and then promptly delete her blog after achieving publication.


As you likely know, I absolutely abhor endings, which is one of many reasons why I archive dead blogs/websites; I hate to see them go, so I explore them and give them fitting tributes. In line with this sacred tradition of mine, I would like to archive just a little of Sarah's presence on this site.


The inspiration behind our hopeless romantic's blog started in 2008 when she fell in love with a boy she pseudonymed Ricky Bobby. They went to the same Western-US high school and lived under the presumption that Ricky Bobby did not tolerate Sarah. However, they eventually came to find some innocent affection for one another. She was only 15 at the time and Ricky Bobby was a senior in high school. She was head-over-heels in love with him when he announced that he and his family were moving to Pennsylvania after graduation. She was heart broken when the school year ended, and she started a blog to serve as a journal with which to unleash her many feelings.


Time went on and she never found a love quite like Ricky Bobby. She had a few, brief romances over several years but never actually had a proper boyfriend. All the while she still missed her high school sweetheart.


She eventually acquired her first real boyfriend in 2018 at the age of 25. Sadly, the relationship did not work out. So far, she has still not found love despite her obsession with it. But she-and her followers-are remaining hopeful.


Now with her new novel-projects underway, she seeks to render the blog obsolete by publishing a book inspired by it. I opted to copy the last bit of her final post to serve as an archive from the proverbial horse's mouth.


[Her exact words]:
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When I finish this book loosely based upon this hopeless romance life of mine, I'll likely delete this blog from the face of the websphere. I hope that enough of you see this final entry before I do, but don't worry, that may be awhile. (But just in case, if you wish to download an archive of my entries, or copy-and-paste or screenshot them, or what have you, I would do it ASAP.)

If 'The Life of a Hopeless Romantic' (title pending) appears on the YA shelves of a bookstore one day, I hope that some of you might recognize me there and pick me up to live on your bookshelves, so that you won't forget me.

Because I certainly won't forget any of you.

I love you. Adieu. The end.

And, for one last time: Happy Holidays, and happy New Year. Take care of yourselves, Internet. May your lives be full of love. And show love to one another, even if it's hard to find for yourself.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Forever,

Your Hopeless Romantic

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If you are indeed interested in seeing her content, (and possibly her blog if she hasn't deleted it yet), included below are her various links. Feel free to show her some love.


Blog: http://myhopelessromancelife.blogspot.com/
E-Mail: xohoplessromantic@yahoo.com
Twitter: @xohplssrmntc


Long live the King

Hello

I'm back.


I'm not sure for how long, but I'm back. I hope you all kept the kingdom well whilst I was away. Come in and make yourselves warm; I have many more adventures to tell you about.


Long live the King
        

[The key has been updated.]

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Goodbye...?

My dear subjects,


I have found my kingdom. I am in the process of taking it back. I will be gone for a time, but do not fear. I know not if I will be back shortly or if I will be resigned to return but once a year. Some may call this a hiatus; some may consider it semi-retirement. All I can assure is that I seek the freedom to write in synchrony with my inspiration.


My greatest grievance with dead blogs was always that few authors failed to write a goodbye. Most disappeared, while some just faded with their lack of motivation. However, I think it courteous to always thank those who walked alongside you on your journey. To my inner circle, my supporters, and even just those passers-by: thank you. My path to the throne has been absolutely enchanting and I look very forward to the next leg of our adventure together in the Forgotten Kingdom. Until we meet again, whenever that may be. I am now the blogger formally known as Prince.


Long live the King

[I trust you can find the key on your own. It's been in front of you the whole time.]

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Weave Me Tales of Irony

This is going to be one of my rare personal posts. As you may know, I write about dead blogs. I first stumbled across Blogger in the beginning of 2018 AD, years after it had began its decline. I lurked on the site for quite a long time, studying the ruins of the community that once thrived on this noble platform. It was inspiring enough for me to begin a blog of my own as a place to share my thoughts on Blogger. However, as of late I have been gradually losing my inspiration.


I still have an ever-growing list of dead blogs/bloggers that have piqued my curiosity, but sometimes I lack the words to say about them. At one point, I considered taking my blog in another direction by making it a blog where I follow up with dead bloggers and interview them as to why they quit or where they are at now. I potentially have the means to do so, seeing as I have a large collection of contact information at my disposal. But the challenge seemed a bit daunting and I didn't know exactly how to approach it. It makes me wonder how much content I should try to produce. When I started this blog, I had only four goals:


1. Acquire at least 10 views
2. Receive a non-spam comment
3. Acquire a follower
4. Have some kind of correspondence or community with like-minded people


At this present juncture, I have achieved three out of four goals. I still wish that others who like dead-blogs could have found my humble corner of the internet and joined me in my investigations to form a community of Blogger-sleuths, but I realize it was asking a bit much for an invisible blog on a dying platform.


How ironic would it be if a blog about dead blogs died?


Long live the Prince?