The shrill squeal and static burst of a dial-up modem once filled millions of homes. That unique sound was the gateway to a new world. It promised email, chat rooms, and websites. America Online, or ...

The classic dial-up handshake sounds melodic, scratchy, and harsh, and is inexorably associated with connection. It’s also now silent. AOL’s decision this week to finally end dial-up service is not ...

Also BBSes, which were also huge time sinks. I ended up bringing in a second phone line to my parents' house, and then a third line when I wanted to run a BBS. But the house was only wired for two, so ...