Out of all the file formats, the GIF probably garners the most mixed feelings. They’re technically not strictly used for animated images, but that’s generally how you’ll come across them on the Internet. They’re the reason the page you’re trying to load takes a million years, but they’re also the reason you don’t have to send YouTube links that start at specific times to your friends to show them a quick, funny thing that happened. To the Internet, the animated GIF is both a blessing and a curse. Back on this day, June 15, in 1987, the Graphics Interchange Format was born, so whether or not you hate them, this sometimes derisive, sometimes beloved file format deserves recognition. Happy 25th anniversary, GIF. I don’t know how many adorable animal scenes and extremely weird Japanese game show segments I would have missed without you.
(via The Verge)
- Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary
- A PlayStation retrospective for its 15th anniversary
- To celebrate Wolfenstein 3D’s 20th anniversary, Bethesda released it free-to-play in your browser
