What's most amazing about AOL is that they own some of the most lucrative properties on the Internet (MapQuest, Engadget, Moviefone) and they STILL can't make money.

I just got an AOL disk in the mail. Probably because I just bought a house. I felt like I was having a 90s flashback. I could hear the dull strains of Dave Matthews on the fall wind. It was freaky.

The Icelander: What's most amazing about AOL is that they own some of the most lucrative properties on the Internet (MapQuest, Engadget, Moviefone) and they STILL can't make money.

Anything that competed with a TimeWarner offering that AOL managed was basically shoved into a closet and AOL was told they couldn't work on it. There was a lot of great development that I saw get canned because TimeWarner didn't want the competition.

/Former AOL employee
//Saw a lot of inventive things get "stashed" because of TW.

I still remember the Slashdot article from years ago when TimeWarner/AOL first announced the merger. Oh man, it was "the end of the Internet as we know it!" and people just couldn't fathom that the Federal Government had "allowed" such a merger. Funny how things happen.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/10/15/158238

"The problem is, in my eyes, if this merger is completed, this huge corporation controls the information flow to millions of people. So, you've got 30 million americans who are reading Time Magazine, watch CNN, surf the web starting at AOL, and thinking they are informed, but in reality, they never got anything outside of AOL/Time-Warner."

WTF Indeed: Haha Subby still thinks people use AOL...wait they do? WTF?!

Oh, it's much worse than that... people still use AOL DIALUP.

I often run across customers who use AOL, at this point is it any worse than hotmail? It's at least better than using your ISP as your email provider.

Rapmaster2000: I just got an AOL disk in the mail. Probably because I just bought a house. I felt like I was having a 90s flashback. I could hear the dull strains of Dave Matthews on the fall wind. It was freaky.

Dang, are they still sending those?

I recall a frantic phonecall from a dimwit aunt in the mid 90's that she 'got something computery in the mail!'. I drove over to her house where she held up an aol disk in awe. It took me a surprisingly long time to not only tell her what it was used for, but also that she herself could not use it because she did not own a computer.

jehovahs witness protection: When somebody tells me their email addy is ** * l oaco m I laugh and know what kind of idiot I'm dealing with. I treat them like 7 year olds from that point on.

My boss is still using AOL for her email. I just look at her at slackjawed amazement someone could be so dumb. Then again, she's a LP member and listens to Rush Limbaugh so I should really stop being shocked.

BlorfMaster: Rapmaster2000: I just got an AOL disk in the mail. Probably because I just bought a house. I felt like I was having a 90s flashback. I could hear the dull strains of Dave Matthews on the fall wind. It was freaky.

Dang, are they still sending those?

That's what I said. I haven't gotten an AOL disk in almost 10 years.

notmtwain: I gave up AOL a long time ago but I don't understand why having an AOL email address says anything to you about someone's integrity or analytical ability.

It doesn't. It says volumes, however, about their judgement, their ability to adapt as technology changes, their incurious nature, their value of the familiar vs. willingness to change to better equipment as it becomes available...

Yeah, totally unimportant concepts. Listen, when my eyes quit rolling, go ahead and kick 'em back over here, willya?

notmtwain: Magorn: jehovahs witness protection: When somebody tells me their email addy is ***loacom I laugh and know what kind of idiot I'm dealing with. I treat them like 7 year olds from that point on.

I saw an e-mail recently, in fact from someone wanting to manage my company's investment portfolio, who claimed to have $6 billion in assets under management currently. His prospectus was impressive, but the dealbreaker was that his PROFESSIONAL email was xxxXX95loAcom,

call me an E-bigot if you wish, but I wouldn't let him manage my petty cash drawer after that.

I gave up AOL a long time ago but I don't understand why having an AOL email address says anything to you about someone's integrity or analytical ability.

The fact that you use such unimportant matters to judge things only speaks to the smallness of your mind.

Perhaps that's why they left you in charge of the petty cash drawer.


I think it has to do with how you present yourself in the digital world. Appearances count for something. A .aol email handle is equivalent to sitting in on a face-to-face meeting in... i dunno, gym shorts or something?

notmtwain: Magorn: jehovahs witness protection: When somebody tells me their email addy is ***loacom I laugh and know what kind of idiot I'm dealing with. I treat them like 7 year olds from that point on.

I saw an e-mail recently, in fact from someone wanting to manage my company's investment portfolio, who claimed to have $6 billion in assets under management currently. His prospectus was impressive, but the dealbreaker was that his PROFESSIONAL email was xxxXX95loAcom,

call me an E-bigot if you wish, but I wouldn't let him manage my petty cash drawer after that.

I gave up AOL a long time ago but I don't understand why having an AOL email address says anything to you about someone's integrity or analytical ability.

The fact that you use such unimportant matters to judge things only speaks to the smallness of your mind.

Perhaps that's why they left you in charge of the petty cash drawer.

says n­o­t­m­t­w­ainloacom

we finally got my grandmother to upgrade from aol dialup like... last year

/that's after we got her to upgrade from a mid 90's gateway

I didn't think AOL was still there, but look for yourselves. (new window)

Apparently Hotmail is still alive, too (new window) I guess you need a password now. Or maybe you always did. I don't remember anymore.

Magorn: jehovahs witness protection: When somebody tells me their email addy is ***loacom I laugh and know what kind of idiot I'm dealing with. I treat them like 7 year olds from that point on.

I saw an e-mail recently, in fact from someone wanting to manage my company's investment portfolio, who claimed to have $6 billion in assets under management currently. His prospectus was impressive, but the dealbreaker was that his PROFESSIONAL email was xxxXX95lo­A­c­om,

call me an E-bigot if you wish, but I wouldn't let him manage my petty cash drawer after that.

Some of the smartest businessmen I've ever known use AOL, because it's easy for them and they can spend their thoughts on more important topics... like how to make more money.

But yeah, keep making business decisions like that.

jehovahs witness protection: When somebody tells me their email addy is ***loacom I laugh and know what kind of idiot I'm dealing with. I treat them like 7 year olds from that point on.

You're an a**hole.

\So am I.

BlorfMaster: Rapmaster2000: I just got an AOL disk in the mail. Probably because I just bought a house. I felt like I was having a 90s flashback. I could hear the dull strains of Dave Matthews on the fall wind. It was freaky.

Dang, are they still sending those?

I recall a frantic phonecall from a dimwit aunt in the mid 90's that she 'got something computery in the mail!'. I drove over to her house where she held up an aol disk in awe. It took me a surprisingly long time to not only tell her what it was used for, but also that she herself could not use it because she did not own a computer.

A cousin of mine once collected a couple hundred 3.5" AOL floppies and coated them with a hard plastic material to use as coasters.

I think I still have a bunch somewhere.