History of Alternative Music/Internet

So here is a personal history of "alternative" music and the Internet. (By "personal," I mean that this is more about ME than music or the Internet. Also, it is much easier to make up dates than research them; research is hard work. Damn.)

1967: I am born.  The Beatles       | 1967: The computer industry is
      release "Sgt. Pepper's."      |       born.  There is no such
      There is no such thing as     |       thing as the Internet.
      alternative music.  I         |       My dad, a computer
      grow up listening to          |       programmer, teaches me to
      classical music and The       |       use some of the earliest
      Beatles.                      |       computers (such as Singer).
                                    |
1977: Sex Pistols sing "God Save    | 1977: Unix is born in a lab.
      "The Queen."                  |
                                    |
1979: Blondie scored with their 3rd | 1979: TCP/IP is born.  I begin
      album, Parallel Lines.  Birth |       to use an Apple II.  I
      of the punk movement.  Kate   |       begin programming, in
      Bush releases "The Kick       |       Applesoft basic and Integer
      Inside."  I am listening to   |       basic.  My Apple has 48k,
      such things as Styx, REO      |       a cassette drive & a heat-
      Speedwagon and Journey.       |       sensitive, 40-col printer.
      (I say this without pride.)   |       (I say this without pride.)
                                    |
1981: I am introduced to better     | 1981: My first experience with
      music: Joy Division, Depeche  |       modems & BBSs.  I'm using
      Mode, Bauhaus, Siouxsie,      |       a powerful 300 baud Hayes
      Tuxedomoon, Chrome.  I'm      |       modem to log on to warez
      using a boom box with TDK     |       boards.  People in general
      "D" tapes, poorly dubbed.     |       think this activity is
      People in general think this  |       "weird."
      music is "weird."             |
                                    |
1983: The Quake radio station       | 1983: The Internet is born: TCP/IP
      in San Jose begins playing    |       is used universally.  I'm
      "Modern Rock" (with groups    |       totally out of it: I'm still
      like Blondie and Kraftwerk).  |       using BBSs and have never 
      I'm out of it: my favorite    |       seen a Vax or PDP.
      band is Genesis.              |
                                    |
1984: I get my own stereo, a        | 1984: I get my own computer, an
      300-watt Fisher (amp,         |       Apple IIe (64k of memory,
      receiver, phono, double       |       three floppy disk drives,
      tape deck).                   |       1200 baud modem).
                                    |
1985: In college, I first hear      | 1985: In college, I first get an
      Kate Bush.  I begin to enjoy  |       Internet account.  I begin 
      The Clash, XTC.  I am a bit   |       to read news, use ftp, send
      upset that Talking Heads,     |       mail.  I am a bit upset
      one of my favorite groups,    |       that net.humor, one of my
      is so popular: a top 100      |       favorite groups, is so
      song?                         |       popular: 20 posts a day?
                                    |
1986: I buy my first Kate Bush      | 1986: I post my first article
      album (first of many).        |       to Usenet (first of many).
                                    |
1987  College years.  I listen to   | 1987  College years.  I use a wide
to    a wide variety of music,      | to    variety of computers and
1989: including They Might Be       | 1989: programs, posting to various
      Giants, Brian Eno; there's    |       groups and reading many
      now a modern rock station     |       different types of articles.
      in San Francisco (Live 105).  |       There are now several
      I end up getting a CD player  |       terminal rooms on campus,
      and start buying CDs, but     |       and lots of people to email.
      the choices are limited.      |       I end up buying a PC with
      I start listening to KFOG,    |       a modem, but its 2400 baud
      a "classic rock" station      |       and I lose all of my student
      after I graduate.             |       accounts when I graduate.
                                    |
1990: The lost years.  I am         | 1990: The lost years.  I am not
      listening to bad, mainstream  |       using the Internet: instead,
      music.  I buy a Cream CD      |       I'm using TSN: The Sierra
      and stop listening to modern  |       Network (now "ImagiNation")
      rock.                         |       and not reading news.
                                    |
1991: Modern rock begins growing    | 1991: The Internet begins growing
      in popularity.  Nirvana       |       in popularity.  The first 
      releases "Nevermind."         |       commercial backbones are
      Stone Temple Pilots release   |       built; AOL builds its email
      "Core."  I buy Tori Amos's    |       gateway to the Internet;
      first album, "Little Earth-   |       I get a Netcom account
      quakes" and resume listening  |       and resume using the
      to alternative music.         |       Internet.
                                    |
1992: Huge explosion in alternative | 1992: Huge explosion in Internet
      music.  Major labels begin    |       popularity.  Newspapers
      paying attention.             |       begin paying attention.
                                    |
1993: The gradual main-streaming    | 1993: The World Wide Web begins
      of "alternative": the word    |       making the Internet easy
      becomes meaningless.  The     |       enough to use that non-
      general public is buying      |       computer users are
      all kinds of these acts.      |       interested.
      Lollapallooza tours sell out. |       I'm posting to different
      I'm currently buying CDs      |       alt groups under different
      by Stone Roses, Trashcan      |       names.  I post something
      Sinatras, Dinosaur Jr.        |       in alt.fan.warlord that
      I buy Tori Amos' "Under       |       makes Kibo post a follow-
      The Pink."                    |       up.
                                    |
1994: I'm listening to modern       | 1994: I'm using the Internet
      rock a LOT.  My CD collection |       a LOT.  In July I start
      is 200 strong (Frente!, PJ    |       posting under my real name
      Harvey, Belly, Pixies, Orb,   |       and make a home page.  I'm
      Single Gun Theory); I begin   |       posting to rec.humor.funny,
      subscribing to Rolling Stone  |       comp.systems.ibm.pc.  I
      because they actually cover   |       begin seeing magazines
      music I listen to.  Most of   |       devoted to the Internet.
      my friends listen to the      |       Most of my friends have
      same music I do.              |       accounts.
                                    |
late  A second alternative music    | late  I get a second account,
1994: station starts in the Bay     | 1994: at emf.net in Berkeley.
      Area; I start listening.      |
                                    |
1995: Modern rock is mainstream is  | 1995: Computers are the Internet
      "alternative" is music.       |       is Usenet is the Web.
      Alanis Morissette's "You      |       Time and other magazines
      Oughta Know" is #1.           |       have Internet cover stories.
      No one even considers         |       It is unusual to find anyone
      REM or Pearl Jam or Hole to   |       who has not used the
      be alternative.  The hip      |       Internet or to find a large
      people have moved on to       |       company that is not on the
      truly underground artists.    |       Web.
      I am starting to feel that    |       I am starting to feel that
      everyone listens to the same  |       everyone uses the Internet.
      music I do.  I am startled    |       I am startled to realize
      to hear, on a trip to         |       that almost all of my
      Boulder, CO, that THEIR       |       friends are Internet
      alternative stations sound    |       users.
      EXACTLY like the ones here.   |
                                    |
late  Musical fashion has passed    | late  Internet trends have
1995: me by; trends like Madchester | 1995: passed me by: tools like
      or the Liverpool Scene are    |       Lynx, vi, rn and mail are
      brief fancies for the public  |       hopelessly far from modern
      -- although I like these      |       -- although I still use
      sounds long after they are    |       them long after they're
      passe'.                       |       popular.
                                    |
1996: I still listen to the newest  | 1996: I still look at the latest
      groups that come along --     |       versions of Netscape that
      although it seems that I've   |       come along -- although I
      been mainstreamed without     |       can't keep up.  People used
      even noticing.  People used   |       to say, "Wow, you have your
      to look at my CD collection   |       OWN home page?"  Now they
      and say, "I haven't heard of  |       ask me why I don't have
      half these groups."  Now they |       frames or JavaScript links
      ask me why I still listen to  |       or GIF 89a animation.
      Kate Bush and REM.            |
                                    |
      I am considering listening to |       I am considering getting
      college radio stations, just  |       rid of my accounts and
      so I can be hip again.        |       telling people I gave up
                                    |       computers years ago.