"Caption This!"

February 7th, 1997. That's when all the rules changed. That's when life took a nasty turn. That's when the future stopped being what it was supposed to be. On an unrelated note, that's also when I uploaded the first Caption This! gallery.

The SciFi Channel's Mystery Science Theater "Caption This!" activity had only been online since the first of the month, but already it had a loyal group of regulars. Hippie and Jazzsoda had come up with techniques for saving their caps only a couple days after the introduction of this new comedic medium, and a few days after that I synthesized the cap-saving idea with my burgeoning interest in HTML to create what you see before you, or rather what you will see before you once you're done reading this and have scrolled down. These are baby steps, to be sure, but what babies we were.

Note how the major themes are already in evidence, namely, "This person looks kind of like someone famous" and "People on infomercials are stupid." Note also how I seem to have had a Hippie fetish during that first week. You might also try noting that this document is, in fact, the very document which I uploaded that fateful day (hence the simple HTML). Obviously I've edited it--the original introductory text was lost when I did my first update--but the gallery itself is the very same.

It's likely that if you're a regular gallery-surfer these caps will be old news to you. Still, you may feel some historical resonance when you see them arranged in this original configuration. If you're looking for something a little flashier, a little more exciting, maybe something that actually took some work to create, then you should check out Jazzsoda's Anniversary Page. It's where the hip kids hang out.

Hippie: Bargain rather than fight? You are no jedi!	Interociter: A young Cancerman teaches the Macarena to Billy Dee Williams and Jonathan Frakes.	Jazzsoda: Glenn Close is stumped! How *does* he do it??
Jazzsoda: Jim Cordo, we've exposed your kiddie porn ring! What do you have to say to that? ("I'm going to Disneyland!")	Hippie: Mark Wilson's magic is incredible! He changed me to a complete dork and made my chances to score disappear!	GuloGulo: "Dear Headmistress: Please excuse Bob from school as he is sick. signed, Bob's mom."
Hippie: I created Star Wars! I was gonna call it "Dudes in Space"! Chewbacca was supposed to be a handpuppet!	Hippie: "R2-D2 was pocket portable! C-3PO was in drag! Darth Vader had an afro helmet!" Someone get a cyber cane!!!	Hippie: Kate Moss has made the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue!
GuloGulo: "I'm a little teapot, short and stout...." Geez, Vader, you have *no* sense of humor.	Hippie: Order now and get Matt's first mediocre attempt at stand-up comedy. "Consumer protection laws... have you seen these? What is THAT about?"	Hippie: Yes, officer. Matt called and asked for all my credit card numbers. He said if I had the right one, I would win a prize.

If that wasn't enough for you, then check out this. It's the very first CT! image I saved--February 4th, 1997. The cap was mine, but for some reason I decided to rely on my memory instead of actually saving the text. Use your imagination. If I were more ambitious, I'd invite you to cap it yourself.