Out of the Blue

Today is the 19th anniversary of the release of QUAKE! It's also the 15th anniversary of the release of the original Deus Ex.

On a coincidentally related note, a question popped up in the forums about the anniversary date for this site, as it turns 20 either this year or next year. The question of which year is correct is inspired by the caption saying "Established 1995. Over three-quarters of a billion visitors since 1997," which is a little vague. The reason is that the exact answer is a little imprecise. Going back to the very beginning, the site started sometime in the second half of 1995 as Blue's 3D House of 3D Carnage (hosted on my homepage through my local ISP) as a more general site about FPS games, and the focus on news came on gradually after that. Going by that, the 20th anniversary of the site is sometime over the next few months, but I don't know that I have any way to be more precise about that. If you go by the content here, the site will turn 20 one year from now, as the oldest news stories in the archive are from July 1996. That's not very accurate, though, as before that I would delete older news as I added newer stories, and it was some time in mid-July that I realized this was regrettable and started archiving older news, and once again, I don't know if there is a more exact answer than that to be found. Finally, if you want the answer in its strictest sense, the site will turn 20 in October 2016, which is the anniversary of moving to the bluesnews.com domain, and first use of the name Blue's News. The visitor count starting in 1997 just reflects when a counter was added. As I say, it's a little imprecise, but it's safe to say we're currently in our 20th year of operation.

Links: Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play: Royal Offense 2.
Tower Droids.
Link: Susannah Mushatt Jones shares secrets to a long life. Thanks Boing Boing.
Stories: Want to buy your own airship: Get your orders in now. Thanks Skullguise.
Former 'Star Wars' actor arrested after chase. Pod-racing skills rusty.
Science: Access to electricity linked with reduced sleep. Thanks HARDOCP.
Images: Brace yourselves for the Steam Summer Sale.
Media: OUTLAST: WHISTLEBLOWER - PART 2 (React- Gaming).
Best Fails of the Week 3 June 2015. Ouch. Thanks nin.
Flying Kitty Surprise. Maybe scarier than yesterday's weightlifter.
The Funnies: Dilbert Comic Strip.
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48 Replies. 3 pages. Viewing page 1.
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Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 09:49
nin
1.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 09:49
Jun 22, 2015, 09:49
nin
 

Sooooooo...which one we going with?

Also, yea Quake!

2.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 10:25
2.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 10:25
Jun 22, 2015, 10:25
 
Ah Quake, one of the games that left a huge impact on my childhood. Both the standalone product, the expansions, and of course the amazing amount of mods for it. As I grew older, and began reading about the creation of it through NeXTSTEP and the inner turmoils inside id at the time, it only made me appreciate the game more. I'll admit, Quake may not be as easy to get into for everyone like DOOM, and it has its own set of flaws, but there's still something so special about Quake after all these years. So happy birthday Quake!
Avatar 58180
3.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 10:33
3.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 10:33
Jun 22, 2015, 10:33
 
Do you guys here still have a wallet with paper money? All I can find in mine (in terms of money) is 7 2€ coins, 3 1€ coins, and a EC card +.+

Haven't actually needed paper money in quite a while.
Avatar 54727
4.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 10:38
Ant
 
4.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 10:38
Jun 22, 2015, 10:38
 Ant
 
eRe4s3r wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 10:33:
Do you guys here still have a wallet with paper money? All I can find in mine (in terms of money) is 7 2€ coins, 3 1€ coins, and a EC card +.+

Haven't actually needed paper money in quite a while.
Yes in USA. :/
Avatar 1957
5.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 10:45
5.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 10:45
Jun 22, 2015, 10:45
 
Oh, the hours spent playing the Thunderwalker Quakeworld mod...
groovy...I love the smell of napalm in the morning...oh my gawd they killed Kenny
Avatar 33441
6.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 10:50
6.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 10:50
Jun 22, 2015, 10:50
 
eRe4s3r wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 10:33:
Do you guys here still have a wallet with paper money? All I can find in mine (in terms of money) is 7 2€ coins, 3 1€ coins, and a EC card +.+

Haven't actually needed paper money in quite a while.

I still deal mostly with cash for everyday expenses as I find it makes me a bit more cost conscious. There are some things I use a CC for like online orders of course.
Avatar 51617
7.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 11:12
7.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 11:12
Jun 22, 2015, 11:12
 
I have so much Quake nostalgia. Many nights getting yelled at for keeping the phone line occupied. Now I have become what I used to hate, an LPB.
8.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 11:33
8.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 11:33
Jun 22, 2015, 11:33
 
Confession: I never finished the SP in Quake 1 back in the day, got too freaked out and quit. I was weak man.
Avatar 37119
9.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 11:35
nin
9.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 11:35
Jun 22, 2015, 11:35
nin
 
Task wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 11:33:
Confession: I never finished the SP in Quake 1 back in the day, got too freaked out and quit. I was weak man.

Ok, I am a totally chickenshit, and I made it through Quake.

Did you try Alien Isolation? I keep meaning to go back to it (not finished), but it spooks the hell out of me. The sound is phenomenal, and they really mimicked the set design of the first Alien movie.

10.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 11:48
10.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 11:48
Jun 22, 2015, 11:48
 
How interesting, today also happens to be my 19th wedding anniversary. I didn't realize that Quake was released on my wedding day
~~Crim~~
11.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 11:54
nin
11.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 11:54
Jun 22, 2015, 11:54
nin
 
CrimsonPaw wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 11:48:
How interesting, today also happens to be my 19th wedding anniversary. I didn't realize that Quake was released on my wedding day

Congrats!

12.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 11:54
12.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 11:54
Jun 22, 2015, 11:54
 
eRe4s3r wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 10:33:
Do you guys here still have a wallet with paper money? All I can find in mine (in terms of money) is 7 2€ coins, 3 1€ coins, and a EC card +.+

Haven't actually needed paper money in quite a while.

Yeah, I've always been a cash only guy for the most part. Comes from being in hospitality however and always having cash on hand. I never use debit - except if I actually need cash from a machine which is rare. And I generally only use my CC for online purchases and groceries and gas as I get points on them and it makes the spending easier to track. I'm the sort of guy who feels naked if I don't have a $100 in my pocket.
13.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 12:23
13.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 12:23
Jun 22, 2015, 12:23
 
Cutter wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 11:54:
eRe4s3r wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 10:33:
Do you guys here still have a wallet with paper money? All I can find in mine (in terms of money) is 7 2€ coins, 3 1€ coins, and a EC card +.+

Haven't actually needed paper money in quite a while.

Yeah, I've always been a cash only guy for the most part. Comes from being in hospitality however and always having cash on hand. I never use debit - except if I actually need cash from a machine which is rare. And I generally only use my CC for online purchases and groceries and gas as I get points on them and it makes the spending easier to track. I'm the sort of guy who feels naked if I don't have a $100 in my pocket.

Interesting Though EC cards are different from credit cards in the sense that you pay with existing money. So to me it's (nearly) the same as paper money. Difference is that some stores have a minimum for EC payment
Avatar 54727
14.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 12:48
14.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 12:48
Jun 22, 2015, 12:48
 
CrimsonPaw wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 11:48:
How interesting, today also happens to be my 19th wedding anniversary. I didn't realize that Quake was released on my wedding day

Congrats.

And... congrats, bluesnews...?
Avatar 15604
15.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 12:50
Jivaro
 
15.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 12:50
Jun 22, 2015, 12:50
 Jivaro
 
CrimsonPaw wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 11:48:
How interesting, today also happens to be my 19th wedding anniversary. I didn't realize that Quake was released on my wedding day

Congrats!

Avatar 55841
16.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 12:55
Jivaro
 
16.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 12:55
Jun 22, 2015, 12:55
 Jivaro
 
Blue (or some of you that are more Internet savvy than I am), isn't there an archive or something that you can access that would allow you to go all the way back to the first published page and examine the time stamp in the code? I know I am totally oversimplifying, but I am trying to describe something that in my head makes sense but since I am not really that familiar with the process it probably makes no sense.
Avatar 55841
17.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 13:01
17.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 13:01
Jun 22, 2015, 13:01
 
Happy Quake day everyone! Cheers to that paradigm shift of a game that continues to show it's influence even 20 years later, and to modding and to creativity and the tools created to build new 3d experiences and worlds on a PC!
Avatar 56178
18.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 13:07
18.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 13:07
Jun 22, 2015, 13:07
 
Jivaro wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 12:55:
Blue (or some of you that are more Internet savvy than I am), isn't there an archive or something that you can access that would allow you to go all the way back to the first published page and examine the time stamp in the code? I know I am totally oversimplifying, but I am trying to describe something that in my head makes sense but since I am not really that familiar with the process it probably makes no sense.

The earliest snapshot of the site as it originally stood is from February 1999, well after all the changes I describe took place. One of the problems of being one of the pioneer sites on the web is that we predated a lot of the efforts to preserve such things.
Stephen "Blue" Heaslip
Blue's News Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, El Presidente for Life
Avatar 2
19.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 13:12
nin
19.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 13:12
Jun 22, 2015, 13:12
nin
 
Blue wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 13:07:
Jivaro wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 12:55:
Blue (or some of you that are more Internet savvy than I am), isn't there an archive or something that you can access that would allow you to go all the way back to the first published page and examine the time stamp in the code? I know I am totally oversimplifying, but I am trying to describe something that in my head makes sense but since I am not really that familiar with the process it probably makes no sense.

The earliest snapshot of the site as it originally stood is from February 1999, well after all the changes I describe took place. One of the problems of being one of the pioneer sites on the web is that we predated a lot of the efforts to preserve such things.

What about here? https://web.archive.org/web/19961226231646/http://bluesnews.com/

https://web.archive.org/web/19960715000000*/http://bluesnews.com

20.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 22, 2015, 13:18
20.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 22, 2015, 13:18
Jun 22, 2015, 13:18
 
nin wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 13:12:
Blue wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 13:07:
Jivaro wrote on Jun 22, 2015, 12:55:
Blue (or some of you that are more Internet savvy than I am), isn't there an archive or something that you can access that would allow you to go all the way back to the first published page and examine the time stamp in the code? I know I am totally oversimplifying, but I am trying to describe something that in my head makes sense but since I am not really that familiar with the process it probably makes no sense.

The earliest snapshot of the site as it originally stood is from February 1999, well after all the changes I describe took place. One of the problems of being one of the pioneer sites on the web is that we predated a lot of the efforts to preserve such things.

What about here? https://web.archive.org/web/19961226231646/http://bluesnews.com/

https://web.archive.org/web/19960715000000*/http://bluesnews.com

Good point, they actually got the site on this domain in December '96. Unfortunately, to answer the questions we're working on here, it would have to be from a year or more before that.
Stephen "Blue" Heaslip
Blue's News Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, El Presidente for Life
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