A concept note I wrote in 1999 for a witty website

In the late 1990s, a few years after I ventured into the software products business, my friends and I came up with an idea for a website called 640kb.com. Those were the days when 640KB was supposed to be enough for everyone, and dial-up internet was our gateway to the world. Although the site never saw the light of day, looking back, it’s both nostalgic and somewhat prophetic about the future of the web, social media, and short-form videos. I am sharing the original concept note we wrote on my blog (link in the comments) as a nostalgic look back at our early web ideas.

Highlights from Our Original Concept Note

• The Emblematic Crow: 🐦‍⬛ The crow, or raven, was to be the symbol, donning various outfits for different sections.
• Raven and Penguin: 🐧 For the Linux section, the raven puts a hand on the shoulder of a penguin.
• Raven with a Floppy: 💾 The raven holds a floppy in its mouth for the editor’s pick or pick of the day downloads.
• Raven with a Brush: 🖌️ The raven holds a brush in its hand for the graphics section.
• Humourous Nicknames: We had an elaborate nickname system to inject humour and personality into the site. The editor’s nickname was “Kaw,” while the critic was 🏹“Waydan,” meaning the hunter of the raven. The graphics section, 🦚 “Mayil,” had its articles referred to as 🪶“Thogai.” There was also 🦜“Kili” for the audio section and 🐦 “Kuruvi” for the Technet/MSDN section. (Mayil, Thogai, and Kili are Tamil words meaning Peacock, Plumes, and Parrot, respectively.)
  Dive into this nostalgic journey and see how our early web ideas were a mix of humour, tech enthusiasm, and a vision for the future!
• The raven wears different dresses: 👗The raven dons different outfits to symbolize various sections of the site.
• Raven in a Seal: The raven is inside a seal for the editor’s choice and reviews.

Editorial Humour

In the editorial section, when Kaw explains the reasons for naming the site “Kaka,” Waydan humourously critiques all the negative aspects of the crow/raven, poking fun at ourselves. “Kaka” in Tamil means Crow.  Our site had creatively named sections and nicknames to add personality and humour:

• A Yahoo-like directory for Windows/Internet developers.
• A classified, organized, easy search of items from Microsoft/Technet/MSDN sites, such as information for Visual Basic programmers.
• The site’s logo name was “Kaka,” and the editor’s nickname was “Kaw.”
• Mayil: 🎨The graphics section.
• Ovean (OVE): Nickname for the graphics editor.
• Kuruvi: The Technet/MSDN section.
• Kili: 🔉The audio section.

Though 640kb.com never materialized, this concept reflects the spirit of innovation and creativity we had at the time. It’s fascinating to see how elements of this vision have manifested in the modern web, social media, and content platforms. Sharing this now serves as a piece of history, capturing the early aspirations and humourous takes on web culture from a quarter-century ago.

Original Concept Note

Crow/Raven is going to be the symbol for 640kb.com.

The raven wears different dresses:
- Raven puts hand on the shoulder of a penguin for Linux Section
- Raven is inside a seal (Official Emblem) for editor's choice & Reviews
- Raven holds a floppy in the mouth for editor's pick or pick of the day downloads
- Raven holds a brush in the hand for graphics section

Miscellaneous:
- RS will be honorary editor & chief editor of Linux section
- SR will be honorary editor & chief editor of graphics section
- SV will be contributing editor and will contribute on these areas:
  1. How to be a successful entrepreneur
  2. How to be successful in the computer industry
  3. How to shape your IT career
  4. How to plan your projects
- PA will be:
  1. Writing good/solid code
  2. Where is the IT industry going? Linux or Windows

In the editorial when Kaw explains the reasons for naming it "Kaka," Waydan in the bracket (in a different colored text) critiques by saying all the negative points of Crow/Raven, making fun of ourselves!

Sections:
- Yahoo-like directory for Windows/Internet developers
- Classified organized easy search of items collected/linked from Microsoft/Technet/MSDN sites. Say people come to Visual Basic, they will find information neatly classified that anyone programming in Visual Basic should be aware of (service packs, downloads, bugs, etc.)
- Logo name is Kaka
- Editor's name and nickname of Vishwak is Kaw. Example: these opinions are by Kawhsiv and not of 640kb.com or Kaw.h.siv
- Critic's nickname (SR) is Waydan. Waydan means hunter of the Raven (Kaka)
- Graphics Section is Mayil
- Graphics Nickname (SR) is Ovean. Short "OVE"
- For all names, we will give pronunciations in the bracket as in dictionaries and also as an audio MP3/WAV download
- Mayil is also attacked by Waydan
- Each article in the Mayil section is Thogai
- Technet/MSDN Section, where we collect all small pieces of information from the Microsoft site, will be called Kuruvi
- Audio Section is named as Kili (Parrot)