Rewind to 1999

Ah, 1999, when the world was perched on the cusp of a brand new millennium – and spent far too long worried that the resultant date bug make people’s computers think we were back in the Dark Ages and have planes tumbling from the sky. But there was more to the year than hysteria over nothing – there was this little lot too...   Gadget – Wi-FiOkay, so it’s a technology rather than a gadget – and a technology that existed pre-1999. But it was this year that the term “Wi-Fi” was first used, after the Wi-Fi Alliance was formed to simplify the concept of wireless networking. And it worked: nowadays, a world without wireless Internet is unthinkable. Continues...   Film – Being John MalkovichThis fantastical black comedy was a breath of fresh air in a Hollywood short on ideas. Concerning the discovery and subsequent misuse of a magical portal into the head of actor John Malkovich (gamely playing himself), the movie made stars of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze and succeeded in balancing laughs with philosophical musings. Continues...  Game – Counter-StrikeWho’d have thought that a mere mod for FPS shooter would become the world’s most popular online action game? Counter-Strike (still popular today) first appeared in its add-on form in 1999, bringing tactical first-person terrorist-versus-counter-terrorist action to Windows-based PCs. Continues...  Album – Bonnie “Prince” Billy, I See A DarknessProlific alt-country singer songwriter Will Oldham seemingly releases an album (or two) every year, but I See A Darkness remains his masterpiece. A series of musings on death and depression, it could easily come off as bleak as its cover artwork suggests, but Oldham’s lyrical, often bawdy, playfulness frequently lifts the mood. A perfect antidote to painfully sincere guitar strummers in the Damien Rice mould. Continues...   TV – The League of GentlemenWeird, wonderful and typically British, The League of Gentlemen’s blend of creepy horror and LOL-worthy comedy made it an instant classic, and had schoolboys giving themselves pig noses with Sellotape while barking “This is a local shop for local people.”   More from Stuff.tv- Equinux Tizi mobile TV hotspot- Karotz – it's Nabaztag reborn- PS3 gets on-demand ITV player and 4oD- Rumour Mill – Mac App Store to be delayed until January 2011- News Nugget – Tascam Portastudio for iPad- Rumour Mill – iPad to have dual cameras- Monsters Tron T1 Daft Punk headphones- Samsung Galaxy Tab buyers to get Christmas freebies- Google unveils test only Chrome OS-powered notebook- Hands on - Google Nexus S