Wednesday 4 February 2009

Digital Footprints

Somebody sent me a link from the Daily Smellygraph in which they rant on about a new card trick by Dave which is "Sweeping the internet". They go on to breathlessly report that "Stunned web users have flocked to web forums to try to discover how the game manages to be successful time after time. "

Well woopy doo.

I won't bother to let them know that Mr Murph came up with the same piss poor trick in August 2007.

But that made me remember even further back.

Last Century, before blogs and Chris Moyles were invented, a few early adopters had their own web sites. I was most surprised to find that mine is still there from about 1997 (I couldn't delete it as it is about 6 ISP's ago)and contains far too much information for my liking including a certain Mrs Poll doing the very same trick that Dave has finally discovered.

I was even more surprised to remember what it was called.

13 comments:

Geoff said...

Maybe Lily can do it in French and you can teach a new dog an old trick.

Lincoln City? Typical southern glory hunter.

Dave said...

Can I just clarify that I am not the Dave in question.

Although my fame is, of course, sweeping the internet.

Dave said...

Just reading your profile. After Gravesend Grammar School, I had a place at Thames Polytechnic. I turned it down to get a job instead. Small world isn't it?

My best marathon time is 3: 43. I did London in 3: 52.

Richard said...

Without looking at the link I'm guessing that it's the easiest card trick in the world, the one that relies on people being unutterably gullible and unobservant (like most magic). Keep your eyes open and take in what you're looking at.

KAZ said...

I won't tell you my marathon time - you'd only be jealous.
Chris Rea??

Zig said...

alzheimer's eh?

Rog said...

Geoff: That's reminded me of New Tricks, a good way of wasting an hour. I only went to the home games.

Dave: I only ever made about 4:35 but did stay ahead of Steve Redgrave after overtaking him on Tower Bridge.

Richard: Yes it's a cheap trick. There is something intrigueing about good magic though surely?

Kaz: Were you running down the Road to Hell at the time? I thought you only did short distances.

Ziggi: What?

Roses said...

Just goes to show, the murphmeister was at the cutting edge...it's taken them this long to catch up.

PS. I love your word verification - cheado!

Richard said...

I like Cheap Trick.

llewtrah said...

Bits of my old website are still around from '96. I deleted all but a redirect page when I got my own server space, but the redirect page is still there on the old ISP. Lots more of it is still around on the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine) which is actually quite good when I've lost a page and don't want to trawl through my CD archive :) Also a bit embarrassing at time though.

Verif: reritive (it's all reritive!!!)

Rog said...

Roses: He was certainly before his time, the Murph.

Richard: I bet they are even cheaper now.

Llewtrah: "a bit embarrassing" is the understatement. Archivists used to be concerned about the transitory ephemeral nature of digital records but the opposite is also a problem!

Marian Dean said...

How does the trick work? I mean on your old web site. Hollie is wonderful at it, can she still do it?
My three white mutts would be hopeless.
Love Granny

Rog said...

Hi Granny - I'm afraid Hollie is long gone but is probably having a doggy whinge to Mr Murph right now. They were the Harry Houdini's of the four legged world.