One of my regular work assignments is writing portfolio content for websites TobacCo has created. I talk about the changes we made to improve the client’s old site, but even though I’ve asked the project managers to include as much information as possible, there’s rarely more than a brief paragraph or two.
The Internet Archive Wayback Machine has been a lifesaver.
If you aren’t familiar with the Wayback Machine, it’s a digital library that captures and archives millions of web pages as they appeared over time. Simply enter the URL, select a highlighted date, and you can travel back in time, seeing how websites looked years (or even decades, at this point) ago. Even if the website no longer exists, there’s a digital snapshot of it floating around. You can use it to find lost or deleted content, reminisce over virtual memories, or just laugh at how goofy your ass looked in 2012. The archived version might not be perfect, depending on how dynamic or interactive the site is/was, but at the very least you can pull it up and take a look.
This comes in handy for my job, because I can type in the client’s website URL, click on an old version, and do a side-by-side comparison with the new and improved one. I am then able to write about the changes and improvements we made, even if the project manager has given me jack squat.
Nifty, huh? And I bet most people don’t even know the Wayback Machine exists. You should click on the link and give it a try. Use your own blog URL for a really fun stroll down Memory Lane. If you’ve had an online presence for any length of time, you can see what your site looked like back in the day.
Take Mark My Words. I’ve cycled through more blog themes than Elizabeth Taylor had spouses. I visited the Wayback Machine recently and took some screen shots for posterity.
I’m nothing if not fickle, I guess. From left to right: 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2021, and present day. There were a few others, but you get the gist. Funny how I went through different phases, each theme reflecting a particular stage in my life: grunge, bold, PDX airport carpet, nature, haute couture, minimalist.
Yes, PDX airport carpet. It’s a whole thing.
I’ve had my current theme for about two years now, which has to be some kind of record.
Every year — usually come winter, when the John Deere is in hibernation and the ground is too frozen for Tara to dig up and drop seeds into — we choose a new old TV series to binge. This has included many classic series we missed when they aired originally, such as The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The West Wing, Mad Men, Deadwood, and The Shield. Pretty much without fail, we’ve enjoyed them all and wondered what took us so damn long to get around to ’em.
This year, we decided on Fargo. Loved the movie, heard great things about the series, 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, seemed like a perfect fit. Plus, an honest-to-god wood chipper was parked in my driveway just last week, which honestly might have given me the idea in the first place. So, we fired up Hulu and were immediately drawn in, especially when Jon Hamm showed up as Sheriff Roy Tillman in the second episode.
But that’s when the alarm bells went off. I’d done my research, and knew Jon Hamm didn’t guest star on Fargo until Season 5. I was expecting Billy Bob Thornton. That’s when I realized we had inadvertently started binging the current season, which just kicked off on Nov. 21. All the episodes haven’t even aired yet, and the season won’t conclude until Jan. 16, 2024.
Well, shit. Do I feel stupid? Oh, you betcha, yah.
Luckily, Fargo is an anthology series, with each season introducing a new cast of characters and unique storyline. Watching it out of order shouldn’t matter. But you can’t binge something that’s still airing. We’re already all caught up, which kinda defeats the purpose.
We may have to binge something else now before Jan. 16, when we can resume binging Fargo. A binge between binges, if you will. But it’s gotta be short.
Ever use the Wayback Machine? Which version of my blog do you like best? Do you watch Fargo? Got a recommendation for a short series we can binge over the next month?
Mark My Words 
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