Originally published in The Nervous Breakdown
Fourteen years ago, I started an online magazine. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal now, since anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can create an online presence, but back in March of 1994, it wasn’t so easy. Because Netscape Navigator wasn’t even at 1.0 — it was in beta. And Internet Explorer didn’t exist. Email ran on mainframes and VAX machines, and Gopher was the protocol of choice when it came to delivery of information in a menu-like interface.
Anyway, I had to come up with a name for the magazine, and I chose Whirlwind. I’m trying to remember why I picked that name, but honestly, I can’t recall, though I would like to say now that I regret choosing it. I mean it’s not a terrible name, but couldn’t I pick something cooler, like Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head? I mean I was in college, for God’s sake. It’s just sad.