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45th Anniversary of the Internets

Okay, let's take a few minutes and tip our hats to Rene Deschambres and his earth shaking invention - the Internets. Today is its 45th anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's been around that long!

From its crude beginning using tube encapsulated, pulsed nanomic algorithms to breakthrough sophisticated Web bouncing and nano-tech enhanced impulsion, the Internets is indispensable today.



But just how did it start?

Some of the younger readers won't know this because they weren't around at the beginning. At any rate, this is a very short history of the Internets, it's early daze and the maintenance warnings, which after 45 years, have not changed.

To begin, the Internets was invented in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada on April 5th, 1972. That's 45 years ago for those whose math skills are lacking.

Rene Deschambres, its creator, was an unemployed copper miner who said the Internets was a mistake. Rene was searching for a way to turn off his alarm clock without having to roll over in bed. He wasn't trained in electronics, but loved to tinker in his garage.

In 1971, he had a box of baby monitors that he fished out of a dumpster behind Woolworths (remember them?). The radios, made by different manufacturers, were broken but otherwise in good shape. Because he was unemployed, Rene had plenty of time to dumpster dive, and came up with these treasures.

Because he was uneducated and not constrained by the rules of electronics and solid state theory, Rene created what he thought was a remote control "alarm clock turner offer". He used it with great effect for several months, until one morning in early 1972, when his box answered him back. Another man, Al Bell of Garson, Ontario, also unemployed, and an inveterate tinkerer himself, spoke to Rene on his "voice activated coffeemaker".

This communication is considered by historians to be the first 'online chat'.

Both would go on to lead rather uneventful lives in northern Ontario. Deschambres never worked again, but made money as a private contractor and designer for various aerospace companies in the US and Canada. Several of his inventions, like 'current oil', a special lubricant that made electrons flow faster in space, was used on the space shuttle.

Deschambres marketed the Internets from his garage, selling the original kit for $19.99. All the kits were mailed by Canada Post. In part, the instructions reminded users to wash the Internets with mild soap and water occasionally and never leave it in direct sunlight. Do not lick.

Some other forgotten Internets facts:

1. The original Internets operated using 4 D cell batteries.
2. The military scoffed at Rene's invention. They called it 'a stupid, unimaginative idea and probably a scam'. From the original rejection letter issued by Canada's Department of National Defence - "...the government is not in the habit of spending wastefully. Your creation appears to be fraudulent...."
3. Sky blue was the original Internets colour.
4. Bill Gates bought one mail order.
5. Throughout the 1980s, Nigeria was Rene's largest customer.
6. In Quebec, Rene's invention was marketed as a "spirit box" (Boite à Fantôme). People could talk to dead relatives using it.

Rene is also the inventor of Ali AckBarrr! The self beheading, Muzzie doll.

Square Aggies (marbles) - Never Lose Your Marbles Again! - Remember them from Xmas 1975? They were created and marketed for Ontario mental hospitals.

And now you know...the best of the story!

Where does Al Gore fit into this?

He doesn't. Al Gore is a hologram.