AOL's Magazines

AOL's magazines? What magazines? Yes, AOL used to produce monthly magazines for its members. It all started with AOL's erstwhile service for the Commodore 64, Q-Link, which had its own monthly "Update" magazine. (Actually, it started even before that, when CoVideo Co., AOL/Quantum's predecessor co., had a service for the Atari called GameLine, but you'll have to get my book to read all about that). ;) The magazines have come and gone, but I saved all the ones to ever cross my path. Here's a sampling.




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Q-Link Update

An early Q-Link Update magazine. This one is from May of 1988. Later magazines featured more colorful, graphics-oriented designs, not shots of people like the one featured here. I'll be posting more Q-Link Updates as I get them scanned.

PC-Link Update



The October, 1989 cover of the PC-Link update.------------
[photo coming soon]
This is the first update magazine produced for America Online, the newly named company and service. It came out in 1989 (I didn't see an exact date on it), and was followed by others. Around this time, AOL decided to "commingle" its separate services for the PC (PC-Link), Apple II, and Macintosh (AppleLink), and create its one single flagship product, AOL. This magazine featured Guy Kawasaki on its cover -- he is a "guru" of Macintosh computing, author, and entrepreneur. He once came to AOL to give us a "pep talk." 

AOL CD and Other Collectibles Sites

Check out these other AOL CD/Collectibles Sites:

AOL CD and Tin Collecting with SparkyRoom 321/The Squirrel's Nest/C64 Files

Awesome site, keeping the spirit of Q-Link and the Commodore 64 computer alive! A must-see for anyone who seriously wants to delve into the roots of AOL. Has old screen shots of Q-Link!

Q-Link Lives

Wait a minute...is that the Q-Link signon screen I see? Am I suddenly on my old Commodore 64? Al's way cool site with screens from the ol' Q-Link.

Danny's Access Provider Disk Report

Get the goods on who's sending out what, among other things.

http://www.angelfire.com/my/aolcollection/installaolcds.html

Oooold AOL v. 1.0 screen

Check out this
ooold AOL v1.0
screen!

This comes to
us all the way
across the atlantic, courtesy of our buddy DJ Zeph in the U.K., or, as we like to call him, Packard. Thanks Zeph! Check out Zeph's site: http://www.myspace.com/djzeph

The T-Shirts of AOL Past and Present

The T-Shirts of AOL Past and Present When you work at AOL, or at least when I worked there, you got a lot of t-shirts. And sweatshirts, polo shirts, denim shirts, tank tops, etc., etc., etc...once, even, a leather jacket. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here then we tell the history of AOL, formerly Quantum Computer Services, in a sartorial pictorial, if you will.

AppleLink Personal Edition T-shirt front of t-shirt back of t-shirt (AppleLink Personal Edition was an online service that Quantum/AOL created for Apple Corporation. But things didn't work out and it went bye-bye in the early 90s. Out of its ashes, AOL was born). PC-Link: A T-Shirt from "Allenbash" (One of my first jobs at AOL was as People Connection producer for PC-Link, Quantum/AOL's online service for the PC -- specifically Tandy PC's, but it worked for "IBM compatibles" in general). This was signed by my PC-Link friends like DADDIO, RadioBob and Gwydian...most of them hosts of People Connection chat rooms).

Q-Link Sweatshirt



AOL "Beach Blast" T-shirt

This is the shirt they gave out at AOL's 1992 Company Picnic. (Looks like it could use a good bleaching).

AOL "Beach Blast" T-shirt, front:

Front of the shirt they gave out at AOL's 1992 Company Picnic.

Where Are They Now? Ex-AOLer & Olympian Anne Abernathy

Anne Abernathy is the oldest woman to compete in the Winter Olympics. Below is a reprint of an article about her before her run in the 2006 Torino Olympics.



Where Are They Now??

     Anne Abernathy, the oldest woman ever to compete in the Winter Olympics, is revving up for 2006 in Torino, Italy. As a luge racer, she rockets feet first down a twisting ice chute on a narrow sled without brakes, using just her body to steer. When you hit a wall at 90 miles and hour, it hurts, says the five-foot-five-inch, 162 blond, whose fans often chant "Go, go, Grandma" as she whizzes by.
     At 51, Abernathy has competed in five Olympics. A former singer, she represents the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she lives. There’s no ice rink there, so I train in other places, Abernathy says. Despite broken bones, a battle with cancer, and 12 knee surgeries, Abernathy remains committed to her sport. If there is one thing I would wish for everyone, she says, it’s that they have one true passion in life. - Megan Rosenfeld

Reprinted courtesy: AARP September & October 2004
Check out Anne's site at www.GrandmaLuge.com and make a donation!

The AOL Leather Jacket

More Memorabilia: Rabbitjack's Casino Disk

You say you want more AOL Memorabilia? I got your AOL Memorabilia right here! We are soon having a tribute to RabbbitJack's Casino. This is the disk... check out the "Copyright 1987". Oh yes my friend...I have a disk THAT old!

Q-Link RabbitJack Casino disk

Q-Link RabbitJack Casino disk



Q-Link had a cool game called RabbitJack's casino, among other games. Here is that disk.

Got something to add to the museum? I'd love to hear from you!

My "AOL" Julia Mug

My AOL "Julia" mug, without hot liquid

My AOL "Julia" mug, starting to fill with hot liquid

My AOL "Julia" mug, full of hot liquid (That's an old AOL signon screen you see there; it says "Welcome, Julia" on top, and "In the Spotlight" on the left).

AOL Mug Circa 1995

The Q-Link crystal rock

The highly coveted Q-Link crystal rock.

This had to be the most kitschy item Quantum ever distributed.

The AOL Cozies

We Americans like our beverages cold. We also like our cold beverages. 

I think I had more AOL cozies over the years, but these are the two that stuck. My favorite is the one with "The More Windows You Open, the Cooler It Gets." (I mean, can you imagine the sheer magnitude of marketing genius required to come up with that line?). 

And a propos of nothing, I don't like it when people say "American Online," instead of "America Online." What is "American Online," anyway? A lonely guy in Des Moines sending files to himself on Saturday night? 

AppleLink Disk

AOL's service for the Apple computer was "AppleLink." Here is what one of the disks looked like:

PC-Link Coaster

A genuine plastic PC-Link Coaster




Got something to add to the museum?I'd love to hear from you!
email me!

PC-Link Disk version 1

The PC-Link 5 1/4 inch disk, version 1. In package. Upload your PC-Link disk and other memorabilia photos here.

Q-Link Disk

Q-Link disk

Q-Link was AOL's (then called Quantum Computer Services) service for the Commodore computer. You could call it the first real precursor to the AOL service, since it provided news, entertainment, chat, etc. Before Quantum was Quantum, its name was CoVideo Corp., and its product was GameLine, an online service for owners of Atari game machines. It allowed people to download games over the phone lines.

Q-Link Memorabilia

This is the new site for the AOL Memorabilia Museum. The Q-Link category will contain information and photos about AOL's former Q-Link (aka "QuantumLink") online service for the Commodore 64 computer.

Share your memories here.