One of the delightful / terrifying things about the internet is that things don’t just die on there. Long after a web page is gone, there is often some record of it elsewhere.

Take, for example, the very first web page I ever made. (Warning: do not click on the link unless you are prepared to have your eyes assaulted from the visual mores of the 1990s.)

I made that web page back in the days when I was a grad student at UBC (The University of British Columbia) and the web was relatively new. In those heady days, we were unfettered by concerns of readability and aesthetics. Instead, it was all about staking a claim and saying, “This, this is my color scheme! I defy anyone else to try and take it from me!”. I think I won.

Happy Independence Day, America! (Or as one of my English friends jokingly referred to it, “Happy Good Riddance Day”.) And to my Canadian visitors, Happy Belated Canada Day!

As a kid, I always loved the Fourth of July because, hey, fireworks. It wasn’t until I went to grad school in Canada that I learned that Canadians have a similar holiday on July 1st, except with less fireworks and more poutine.

But one thing we can all agree on is that it’s a great time of year to take a break from work and have a BBQ!