Signal to noise ratio

I miss the old Internet. The one without google or facebook checking the inside of my fridge or laundry basket. Without having to worry about LSOs, targeted ads and whatnot. I miss IRC, ftp, even Geocities (okay, some parts - the horrible animated gif backgrounds one could find there coupled with looped midi music is something best forgotten). I know that some of this is still there, but that sense that there is a cornucopia of things that one can discover (to ones joy or disgust) seems gone. I miss not knowing that in order to discover said cornucopia I have to go over corporate paywalls, sign in through site A just to be routed through sites B, C, D to get to Q where I have to evade trolls while wading through a swamp of datasludge. Is attributing sources so hard? Compare articles on pl and en wikipedia for the number of attributed bibliographical sources. Seems it takes arcane knowledge of the highest degree to do it. I miss simplicity of information without clutter.
I remember this one time, ten, maybe twelve years ago when I found a ftp server stuffed with AMVs on some Italian univeristy site. The feeling was similar to rummaging through and old attic and happening upon a particularly interesting bauble, book or other thingamajig. Fat chance of that happening now. I think I'll start using an off-line email client again. Brush up my html, maybe tackle php.

Okay, enough with this rant(-ish) fit of nostalgia. My sick leave is at an end. Monday starts in 3+ hours. Time for a nice hot cup of joe and some light reading to get in the mood. "The rum diary" perhaps? On another note I need to get a haircut. I miss my mohawk.