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BLOG: Change of Subject: What's New, Aughtie-cats? [Chicago Tribune]
(Chicago Tribune (IL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 8--I'm preparing to write a column about what's new in the past decade -- what brands and services and technologies and concepts have come on the scene or into their own since Jan 1, 2000; today's household words and names and idea that were unknown or all but unknown in these parts10 years ago.
My zeitgeist checker is the online database of published Tribune (and RedEye) articles,which provide the journalistic baby pictures below.
Can you help me add to this preliminary list? I'll do the research.
Amazon's Kindle e-book reader -- First mentioned Oct. 26, 2007:
Sony's Reader, a $300 device specifically for reading electronic books, got a lot of publicity at the turn of the year, and the company has just released an improved version, the PRS-505. The online bookselling leader Amazon is rumored to be releasing its own book reader, the Kindle, any day now.
Green jobs -- First mentioned April 16, 2007:
The Green Business Conference, a three-day event leading up to Green Festival Chicago, will take place Wednesday through Friday at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Topics to be covered at the conference include the role of green business in climate change; the state of the green economy; green jobs for the future; sustainability; and how to market a green business, among others.
Twitter -- First mentioned March 14, 2007:
Get the 411 on what your friends are doing right now at the networking site twitter.com. You can post what you're up to as well. Even presidential candidate John Edwards has an account.
Sarah Palin -- First mentioned August 24, 2006:
Gov. Frank Murkowski was trounced in the GOP primary, finishing last of three. Sarah Palin, a former Wasilla mayor, won with more than 50 percent of the vote and will face former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles in November.
Wii -- First mentioned May 15, 2006:
The world got its first glimpse of Nintendo's Wii in action at this year's E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles) The system marks a revolutionary shift away from traditional video games with its remote-esque controller that measures movement and knows where you are pointing on the screen, allowing for complete interactivity with the game.
Miley Cyrus -- First mentioned March 21 2006:
Miley Cyrus is ready to follow in the footsteps of Hilary Duff and Raven: The 13-year-old daughter of "Doc" star and "Achy Breaky Heart" singer Billy Ray Cyrus is ready to be the next big thing for the Disney Channel. Cyrus acts with her dad in "Hannah Montana," which debuts Friday.
Youtube -- First mentioned December 29, 2005:
1.9 million (is the) approximate number of times "Lazy Sunday" has been downloaded from youtube.com. The hilarious "SNL" rap video also has inspired a line of T-shirts available at teetastic.com.
Perez Hilton -- First mentioned, November 17, 2005:
In addition to catching up on Paris (Hilton's) latest exploits at perezhilton.com, which is written by a 27-year-old man who calls himself "Perez Hilton," you'll find scathing commentary about the socialite and other tabloid-worthy stars.
Crocs -- First mentioned July 6, 2005:
Have your feet thanking you this summer after you wear Crocs' beach shoes. The new swim shoe weighs less than 6 ounces and has air ventilation ports to help resist bacteria and odor....Chris Rock, Ben Affleck and Drew Barrymore each have a pair.
Sudoku puzzles -- First mentioned May 25, 2005:
A Japanese brainteaser that has quietly appeared in puzzle magazines in Asia and North America for years, Sudoku hit Britain in the pages of The Times newspaper in November. It now has thousands of avid followers, a host of Web sites and books, and newspapers are competing to offer their readers the best puzzle.
Wikipedia-- First mentioned Jan. 16, 2005:
A true creature of the Web, the Wikipedia site is more or less a constantly evolving online encyclopedia written collaboratively by contributors from across the globe. ... Photographs and videos are also available at the Web site.
Livestrong bracelets -- First mentioned Sept. 15, 2004, in passing.
The Firefox Internet browser -- First mentioned Feb. 26, 2004:
Mozilla's new Firefox 0.8 browser (www.mozilla.org) speeds surfing by suppressing pop-ups and using a feature that has been around a while: tabbed browsing. You can set up your home page to be several of your most visited sites. When you start Firefox (formerly Firebird but rechristened after a dispute over the name), your favorite site loads first and the others load in the background.
Paris Hilton -- First mentioned Feb. 12, 2003:
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are signed up for the Fox reality series "The Simple Life," Daily Variety reports. The two society brats will move in with a farm family. Hilton is heiress to the hotel family's fortune and Richie is singer Lionel Richie's daughter.
Glenn Beck -- First mentioned Nov. 14, 2002:
Along with about 100 affiliates of syndicated talker Glenn Beck, XM broadcasted "War of the Worlds" on its Sonic Theater channel on Oct. 30.
Facebook -- First mentioned May 25, 2004:
Thanks to www.thefacebook.com, students at the two schools have been discovering the screen names, favorite quotes and political affiliations of their friends and crushes--not to mention ogling their snapshots--since the end of April. Users can also see who's in their classes, send messages and "poke" people--that is, send a friendly or flirtatious virtual nudge....Harvard University sophomore Mark Zuckerberg launched the site at his school in February after growing impatient with the university's creation of an official schoolwide social directory.
Podcast -- first mentioned on Nov. 8, 2004 in a story via the Los Angels Times headlined, "Tuning in to the latest thing":
Tune in to these blog-based homemade radio shows, and you'll hear regular people, unschooled in radio, talking about anything and everything the way real people talk--clumsily, with curses, dead air and all. If you've never heard of a podcast, don't worry
Second Life -- First mentioned Dec. 4, 2003:
In the massively multiplayer online universe, it used to be all you could do was shoot bad guys and slay dragons. Now ... Second Life offers a chance to attend concerts, play games and earn virtual bucks by winning contests or building attractions and charging admission.
Wi-Fi --First mentioned Sept. 23, 2003 in "Hot spots to go --The brave new world of Wi-Fi, push-to-talk and in-flight e-mails" via the Los Angeles Times:
Progress in wireless Internet access, through so-called Wi-Fi technology, is enabling business travelers to access e-mail with laptops or hand-held devices at major airports, hotels, restaurants and other public venues.... Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity, consists of a small transmitter that radiates high-speed Internet connections up to 300 feet via radio waves.
I should note that Wi-Fi is not short for "wireless fidelity." It actually has no meaning.
Vitamin water -- First mentioned March 16, 2003 in a photo caption:
PHOTO: A worker serves up sample cups of vitamin water on a conveyor belt in a booth at the show.
American Idol --First mentioned May 31, 2002:
June 11. "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar," 7:30 p.m., Fox -- Based on a popular series in England, musical hopefuls will vie for success, with a celebrity panel of judges knocking them off one by one.
Camera phones -- First mentioned July 14, 2002:
Phones with digital cameras that shoot and e-mail photos are popular in Asia, where consultant Zweig observed a doting father photograph himself buying gifts at the airport for his children, then calling home to tell them to check him out on their computer. Motorola plans to introduce a camera phone in the U.S. at the end of the year, though it's unclear whether the phones will take off here.
Ringtones-- First mentioned June 17, 2002:
Ringtones constitute only the first movement of an entire symphony of new music services mobile network operators and entertainment companies are planning to offer consumers. Services will include so-called "polyphonic" ringtones that do away with the mechanical-musical sound and play like the actual song.
Danica Patrick -- First mentioned May 19, 2002 in an article headlined, "All Eyes on Danica; At 20, Danica Patrick of Rockford is regarded by more than a few experts as the world's best female race driver "
Segway -- First mentioned Dec. 4, 2001:
Its New Hampshire inventor insists "IT" will revolutionize short-distance travel by filling the vacuum between walking and driving. Who knew there was a vacuum?...He has serious backers who helped finance the $100 million development costs of the Segway Human Transporter, the official name of this device.
Speed Dating -- First mentioned Nov. 30, 2001:
Bunches of companies put on speed-dating parties, and they all have about the same rules: Guys on one side of the table and girls on the other. They chat for a few minutes, as if they had just met at a cocktail affair. At the appointed signal, the guys move one spot over and spend a few minutes chatting with a new person.
LeBron James -- First mentioned Nov 24, 2001 in "Akron prep star a jump ahead of pack":
James, who turns 17 on Dec. 30, will be the first or second pick of the 2003 draft. He has played two years of high school ball and has two state championships to show for it.
iPod -- first mentioned Oct. 29, 2001:
Joining the lineup of iMac and iBook is iPod, a $400 pocket-size hard drive that carries up to 1,000 songs in a metallic case about the size of a pack of cigarettes (if you'll pardon the expression).Introduced at an invitation-only session with Apple's Steve Jobs, the gadget fits into the new Apple line sweeter than an overripe Granny Smith rolled in sugar.
Texting -- First mentioned May 14, 2001:
"Texting," which allows users to punch in a brief message that is instantly transmitted to one receiver, has become so popular with teenagers and young adults (in Europe) that an entirely new vocabulary of shortened words has sprung up.
Sean Hannity -- first mentioned Jan. 3, 2001:
"From the moment we're born until the moment we die, I think we're destined to live." ... Sean Hannity, guest host on Rush Limbaugh's radio show, making even liberals wish for Rush's return.
Kanye West -- First mentioned Nov. 19, 2000
Another of (Jay-Z's album, "The Dynasty Roc La Familia 2000") shortcomings is the remarkably average production from Just Blaze, Rick Rock, Kanye West, Bink and others.
Craigslist -- First mentioned April 22, 2001:
"I've definitely noticed a shift in the market," Steve Scheer, operations manager at Craigslist.com, an online site (in the San Francisco Bay area) that lists rentals, said last month....Craigslist.com had more than 1,400 apartments posted in mid-March, a figure nearly double what the site had as recently as four months earlier.
Razor Scooters -- First mentioned June 15, 2000:
At San Francisco-based Sharper Image, a non-motorized $99.95 scooter called the Razor has become the top seller at its chain of retail stores. The Sharper Image store at Old Orchard Shopping Center sold 40 Razors in a single day last weekend.
Author Dan Brown -- First mentioned June 14, 2000 in a list of top-10 e-books: in which Eminem, wearing the neon-lit words "Role Model" on his "Angels and Demons" was No. 8
BlackBerry mobile handheld devices -- First mentioned March 19, 2000:
A wireless messaging product made by a Canadian company, Research in Motion Ltd, ...called "the Blackberry"... won a bushel of industry awards and wound up in the hands of 15,000 users. Two or three times as many people are expected to buy it this year.
The article was focused on productes named "PageWriter" "Timeport" and "Talkabout." Waah-waa! (First Tribune mention of the iPhone was Dec. 8, 2006)
Bluetooth technology -- first mentioned Jan. 30, 2000:
The Bluetooth system features a small digital radio chip that allows data to be transmitted among adjacent computers, phones, digital cameras, etc., without the hassle of plugs and cords.
Jared Fogle, the Subway Guy -- First mentioned Jan. 26, 2000:
Jared Fogle says he chewed his way to a slimmer waistline. The 22-year-old senior at Indiana University says he went to 180 pounds from 425 pounds by eating almost nothing but low-calorie sandwiches for nearly a year.
Borderline '00 phenomena that, technically, were on the radar screen 10 years ago, but hadn't really taken off:
"Hoodie" as a name for a hooded sweatshirt -- First mentioned Sept. 11, 1999
Eminem, wearing the neon-lit words "Role Model" on his hoodie during a ribald performance of "My Name Is."
Blog (also web log or weblog) first mentioned Sept. 7, 1999:
My pick for most promising new genre: the Weblog....A Weblog is a Web site that maintains a constantly updated list of links to other sites; those links can deal with any subject or focus on a particular one. Webloggers typically offer pithy, sarcastic commentary about the links. Weblogs, in effect, are annotated bibliographies of the world. (Julia Keller)
Emo music -- First mentioned March 25, 1999:
Soon the D.O.A. "Pinkerton" was quietly selling thousands of copies a week, the band had became a touchstone for a poppy brand of punk called emo music
Tivo -- First mentioned in a Jan. 18, 1999 story headlined, "TV for the next millennium -- views grows more personal" Only seven stories mentioned the technology that year.
Red Bull energy drink -- First mentioned Dec. 8, 1998:
Most grocery and some convenience stores have begun selling canned and bottled drinks with names such as Fantasia, Red Bull and D-Stress that contain natural energizers and sedatives like spirulina, taurine (an amino acid-based energizer), ginkgo biloba, kava kava and ginseng.
Google -- The behemoth company's first mention in the Tribune was in a Nov. 2, 1998 article via the Orlando Sentinel:
The buzz is building for a new Internet search engine, called Google, which proponents say allows surfers to more easily zero in on topics.
The next mention wasn't until April, 1999 (there were four stories that year that mentioned it). Twelve stories mentioned it in 2000. So far in 2009, 493 Tribune stories have mentioned Google.
90's phenomena that some might mistake for '00's
Botox-- The Tribune's first mention of botox (Botulinum toxin type A) as a wrinkle reducer was July 23, 1995
Deep wrinkles between the eyes, often called "worry lines," can be safely erased with small doses of the botulin toxin, a poison sometimes found in contaminated canned or preserved foods, according to University of Michigan researchers.
Our stories didn't mention it again until August, 1998. Then we were off and running with seven articles in 1999.
Barack Obama -- Obama had been mentioned in 56 articles in the Tribune by January 1, 2000. The first was in the last paragraph of a page 7 article on October 28, 1985 headlined, "Six Self-helf groups get grants"
Barack Obama who works with the Calumet Community Religious Conference,said its grant will be used to assess skills of unemployed workers and to aid them in finding jobs.
Then came February 7, 1990, "Activist in Chicago now heads Harvard Law Review." Then a July 11, 1990, article, "Surrvey: Law firms slow to add minority partners." Then he showed up in an article for Black History Month in 1993 as one of "25 Chicagoans on the road to making a difference."
Barack Obama. Attorney. 31. Born in Hawaii. A community activist who headed Project Vote, a voter registration effort responsible for signing up many of the 150,000 new African-American voters added to the rolls for last November's historic election. In 1990, he was the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review
The MP3 music file --First menioned April 17, 1998 via the New York Times News Service:
This underground music movement has grown up around a data compression technology called MPEG-1 Layer 3, popularly known as MP3, which can squeeze audio or video files to less than one-tenth their original size. With that kind of compression, a student with the typical high-speed connection offered by universities can download an entire CDs worth of music to a computer hard drive in less than 12 minutes.
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Copyright (c) 2009, Chicago Tribune
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