https://404memoryfound.com/ 404 Memory Found is a nostalgia blog about the technology, games, websites and companies of the 90s and 2000s: what they cost, why they won or lost, and what happened to them. en Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://404memoryfound.com/posts/sun-microsystems-oracle-acquisition-java.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/sun-microsystems-oracle-acquisition-java.html Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Theo Lindqvist Sun Microsystems is gone: Oracle paid $7.4 billion in 2010 and renamed it Oracle America. Java and Solaris survived, the SPARC line did not. Software & Apps Business Blunders https://404memoryfound.com/posts/nortel-networks-bankruptcy-patents-sold.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/nortel-networks-bankruptcy-patents-sold.html Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dana Reyes Nortel failed as carrier spending collapsed and filed for bankruptcy on January 14, 2009. Its 6,000 patents later sold for $4.5 billion. Business Blunders Hardware https://404memoryfound.com/posts/worldcom-fraud-who-owns-mci-now.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/worldcom-fraud-who-owns-mci-now.html Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dana Reyes WorldCom is gone: it filed Chapter 11 in July 2002 with $103.9 billion in assets, and Verizon has owned the MCI name since January 6, 2006. Business Blunders Internet Culture https://404memoryfound.com/posts/neo-geo-aes-home-console-price.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/neo-geo-aes-home-console-price.html Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Marcus Vale The Neo Geo AES price was $649.99 new with $200 cartridges. A loose console runs about $1,020 in 2026, and SNK's reissue slipped to 2027. Gaming Hardware Money & Tech https://404memoryfound.com/posts/nextel-direct-connect-chirp-shutdown.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/nextel-direct-connect-chirp-shutdown.html Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Theo Lindqvist Nextel is gone: Sprint switched off the iDEN network at 12:01 a.m. on June 30, 2013. Here is who holds the name now and what replaced the chirp. Hardware Then vs Now https://404memoryfound.com/posts/flooz-com-internet-currency-collapse.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/flooz-com-internet-currency-collapse.html Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dana Reyes Flooz.com raised about $35 million, spent $8 million on Whoopi Goldberg ads, and shut down in August 2001. Every unused balance went to zero. Business Blunders Internet Culture https://404memoryfound.com/posts/philips-cd-i-worth-today.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/philips-cd-i-worth-today.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Marcus Vale The Philips CD-i is worth $225 to $300 as a working console in 2026, and its Zelda discs far more. Philips lost close to $1 billion on 570,000 units. Gaming Hardware https://404memoryfound.com/posts/who-owns-earthlink-now.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/who-owns-earthlink-now.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dana Reyes EarthLink is still in business in 2026, but Trive Capital no longer controls it: a WaveDivision Capital group closed the purchase on October 20, 2026. Internet Culture Business Blunders https://404memoryfound.com/posts/t-mobile-sidekick-danger-hiptop.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/t-mobile-sidekick-danger-hiptop.html Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Theo Lindqvist The T-Mobile Sidekick is gone: sales ended July 2, 2010, Danger's servers went dark in 2011, and 2G switched off on August 3, 2026. Hardware Internet Culture https://404memoryfound.com/posts/pagers-still-used-today.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/pagers-still-used-today.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Theo Lindqvist Pagers are still used in 2026: Spok had about 645,000 units in service on June 30, 2026, and hospitals are what keeps the network alive. Hardware Then vs Now https://404memoryfound.com/posts/sony-aibo-robot-dog-today.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/sony-aibo-robot-dog-today.html Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Marcus Vale The Sony Aibo is still made and sold in the US for over $3,000, but Sony ended Japan sales in June 2026 and now lends prototypes to labs. Hardware Then vs Now https://404memoryfound.com/posts/virgin-megastore-stores-left.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/virgin-megastore-stores-left.html Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dana Reyes Virgin Megastore has had zero US stores since 2009. Virgin Group licenses the name; Azadea runs 40-plus stores in nine Middle East markets. Business Blunders Music & Entertainment https://404memoryfound.com/posts/divx-circuit-city-dvd-format.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/divx-circuit-city-dvd-format.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Theo Lindqvist DIVX was Circuit City's pay-per-view DVD. It ran from June 1998 to June 1999, and every disc stopped playing on June 30, 2001. Business Blunders Hardware https://404memoryfound.com/posts/sega-nomad-handheld-genesis.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/sega-nomad-handheld-genesis.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Marcus Vale The Sega Nomad is worth about $300 in 2026: tested units sold for $259.95 to $390. Sega's portable Genesis launched at $180 in October 1995. Gaming Hardware https://404memoryfound.com/posts/windows-movie-maker-still-available.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/windows-movie-maker-still-available.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Theo Lindqvist Windows Movie Maker is gone: Microsoft pulled the download on January 10, 2017. Clipchamp replaced it, and a fake version once charged $29.95. Software & Apps Then vs Now https://404memoryfound.com/posts/floppy-disks-still-made-today.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/floppy-disks-still-made-today.html Sun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Theo Lindqvist No one has made floppy disks since Sony stopped by March 2011. Every disk sold in 2026 is older stock at about $1, and Muni still boots from them. Hardware Then vs Now https://404memoryfound.com/posts/skymall-still-around-who-owns-it.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/skymall-still-around-who-owns-it.html Sat, 19 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dana Reyes SkyMall is still around in 2026, but online only: C+A Global bought the bankrupt in-flight catalog for $1.9 million back in 2015. Business Blunders Internet Culture https://404memoryfound.com/posts/montgomery-ward-failed-who-owns-it.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/montgomery-ward-failed-who-owns-it.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dana Reyes Montgomery Ward closed all 250 stores in 2001 after 128 years. Colony Brands bought the name for $15.5 million in 2008 and runs wards.com today. Business Blunders Money & Tech https://404memoryfound.com/posts/homestar-runner-still-updating.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/homestar-runner-still-updating.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dana Reyes Homestar Runner is still updating in 2026, 26 years on. Mike Chapman and Matt Chapman still own it, and the Flash archive runs on Ruffle. Internet Culture Software & Apps https://404memoryfound.com/posts/packard-bell-computer-brand-today.html https://404memoryfound.com/posts/packard-bell-computer-brand-today.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Marcus Vale Packard Bell is owned by Acer, which relaunched the dormant 1990s PC brand in 2026 with a 499 euro DotBook laptop sold everywhere but the US. Hardware Business Blunders