These days, all we do is complain about stories we wrote months ago finally bubbling up to the level of “legitimacy,” usually defined as “It’s not real until Michael Kinsley opens his yap and squeaks about it.”
Now we can add the mighty New York Times to our scoop list. The topic? Minitel!
Some argue that Minitel actually prepared the French for online services, providing a cultural humus that enabled Internet use to spread luxuriantly once it had taken root. Moreover, as Internet services veer increasingly toward pay-for-use, and access channels to the Internet multiply, Minitel appears to have found, at least temporarily, fresh applications that may soften if not forestall its ultimate demise.
Weren’t we bellowing to the treetops on this topic just the other week?
Posted on 2001-06-03