Avery Dame-Griff
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adamegriff.bsky.social
Avery Dame-Griff
@adamegriff.bsky.social
1.5K followers 460 following 160 posts
- Curator, Queer Digital History Project (queerdigital.com)
- Author, The Two Revolutions: A History of the Transgender Internet (NYU Press, 2023)
- Lecturer in WGSS @ Gonzaga University
- Collects your old technology junk and cats.
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adamegriff.bsky.social
It really is. It currently has pride of place amongst my other doodads I've collected over the years.
Photo of a bookshelf with computer-related ephemera, including several computer-themed mugs, two cats on computers, a green Intel Bunny Suit doll, a cow statue covered in iMacs, and a Y2K snowglobe with a computer inside of it.
August 29, 2025 at 7:59 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
My new official conference watch, found at Value Village. It's very Me.
Photo of a neon blue analog watch face. The face is emblazoned with the Windows Me logo, and Me on a diagonal across the background in blue and green. It is definitely the 2000s Windows aesthetic in a watch.
August 29, 2025 at 7:31 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
I do love how the power of unregulated internet capitalism is clearly blowing Mr. Monopoly's mind. An evergreen statement for the times.

(I look forward to twenty five years from now, when I find a copy of Monopoly - The AI Edition and/or Monopoly - The Crypto Edition at my local Savers.)
.com edition Monopoly pewter tokens, from left to right: a hand holding an envelope with "Email" written on the back, an early LCD monitor, Mr. Monopoly sitting in front of a monitor holding on to his hat, a "computer bug" based on a silicon chip, a literal mouse, a classic CRT monitor and PC tower combo, a surfboard, and a web browser with "WWW" written across the middle. A selection of cards from the Monopoly deck, including references to bubble classics like going public, buying/selling a web domain, day trading, banner advertising, and "Make a call on Nokia."
June 10, 2025 at 5:37 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
A chuckle for today: I found this practically mint-in-box copy of the Perfect Dot-Com Bubble artifact. It's got it all, from literal surfing imagery to You've Got Mail jokes.

My favorite part? The fact all the money is in millions, since "$200 million...today's starting dot-com salary!"
Cover of Monopoly: The .com edition. Cover is designed in the style of a web browser, with classic dot-com bubble companies (Excite, Lycos, eBay, monster.com, cNet, iVillage) listed to the left and photos of the themed player tokens on the right. It is as kitschy as it sounds. Browse! Surf! Buy! Sell! Own It All- on the net! MONOPOLY - The.com Edition launches the world's most popular game into the world of e-commerce! As you travel the board, you'll buy and sell todayʼs hottest Web sites to build your personal empire of virtual real estate. You're after the top Net companies - those portals, search engines, news, information, entertainment, shopping, business, ISP, and connectivity providers that are now household names. In this edition, newbie MR. MONOPOLY™ has a computer: Land on the space he's on, and you'll see cyber rent control in action! Land on "Download" or "E-mail Just In!" and draw a card: Will you collect $100 million day-trading? Get in on a start-up and pocket $200 million? Or lose your Internet connection and land in Jail? Worse yet, you might receive e-mail of useless jokes and go back three spaces! Even in the risk-intense world of the Web, every time you pass GO, you'll collect $200 million ... today's starting dot-com salary! So pick a pewter token, log on and hyperlink your way to overnight fame and fortune with MONOPOLY - The .com Edition. Photo of Monopoly board, with standard properties replaced by bubble companies. Highlights include GeoCities, MCI Worldcom, Nokia, AltaVista, Lycos, and Ask Jeeves.
June 10, 2025 at 5:37 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Also, it's worth noting that even in 1997, folks within the trans community foresaw this possible future. (Newsletter is from the UMich archives.)
Several years ago, the paths we so easily walk today were very hard roads. The sisters who paved the way came from the support groups that are being rejected today. Think about this. In every department store that you so easily shop, a sister was there before you, and it wasn't so easy for her. In every restaurant you comfortably dine in, a transgendered lady did it before you, and it may have been uncomfortable. The old gals from the support groups found the places, met the people, won them over, and shared their experience, strength, and hope at their support group meetings. The winds of society change The day may come when it's not OK to be transgendered. We may be outlawed again, the cyber police may deem us unfit for the Internet. A ton of things could happen to drive us back into our closets, and back to the support groups. If there are not support groups to go to, how are you going to do that? As I said, I believe in change. Let's bring the support groups up tp speed, bring them into the next century as the tools they are meant to be. Bring your your ideas to your next meeting, share them with your leaders, take leadership roles yourself. Tell your leaders what you want from your group, and if you don't get it, replace your leaders. The Net can't replace the support group. It can and does save you time learning the tricks and finding out that there are thousands just like you out there. But when you shut down your computer for the night, you are alone, with no one to share coffee with, no one to laugh with, no one to cry with. The friends you meet on the Net may not even be who they say they are. The girls in your group are there, and you need each other today and in real time. Jayne Cresap Vice President, Alpha Chapter of Tri-Ess
January 10, 2025 at 6:47 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
The ultimate all-in-one business gadget of the mid-2000s.
Box for the Maximo Concepts Mouse Pad Caller ID Speaker Phone, in black and silver. Photo of the inside of the box, including a photo of someone using the Maximo Concepts Mouse Pad to surf early 2000s Yahoo!
January 3, 2025 at 10:48 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
I spoke too soon.
Vintage Ronald McDonald doll with what can only be described as a rictus grin and terrifying eyebrows.
December 13, 2024 at 7:19 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Cursed object.
Hanging sign that says "Unless you're Amazon or have Chick-fil-A, go away."
December 13, 2024 at 6:49 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Would love to know what RuPaul murdered. (Wrong answers only.)
Google TV landing page for RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World. The AI-generated summary of the reviews reads, "It's a superbly written, extremely informative glimpse into the life of a pervert and murderer..."
November 22, 2024 at 9:17 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
I am a sucker for objects that combine interests and aesthetics, in this case giant robots and cutaway blueprints.
Photo of light-up standee of VF-1 Valkyrie from Macross, lit in neon green.
November 12, 2024 at 12:47 AM
adamegriff.bsky.social
2 thumbs, 7 teeth, a slight wobble, and zero thoughts.
A tortoiseshell cat, eyes closed, curled up on a grey couch.
November 5, 2024 at 4:16 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
What did *your* e-mail from Santa say?
Photo of a Christmas snow globe, with glittery festive animals in knit caps around the bottom. Inside the globe is Santa holding a CRT monitor with "Email to good kids" on it.
October 17, 2024 at 2:09 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Found a game that's sure to get everyone to the table.
Photo of MLM: The Game, "A Board Game for Network Marketers." Back copy of MLM: The Game.
September 20, 2024 at 10:08 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Barbara would like you to know she has given up.
A tortoiseshell cat laying asleep on a gray rug.
September 20, 2024 at 9:57 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
A tour of the current office display, including the latest additions, a Toshiba Satellite and laserdisc of Copycat, a lesser known Network Fever movie.
September 13, 2024 at 3:40 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
When machine learning tries to make a toy. (Found at the local bins store.)
Photo of a green toy truck trailer. On the side is a picture of a green race car, Pixar style, named Chick Hick. Also on the side is the logo of Hick's sponsor, htB, hostile takeover Bank.
July 16, 2024 at 12:17 AM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Really looking forward to digging through these once the semester is over.
Photo of a collection of 13 NetNews CDs, which archived Usenet, covering July 1992 to Jan 1993. A very badly behaved tabby cat named Dinah is sniffing them in the upper left corner. Photograph of the back of one CD, which reads "The contents of this CD include technical, scientific, political, humorous, and a variety of other newsgroup articles Listed below is a partial list of the top level newsgroups included on this CD: alt fj misc soc bionet gnu news talk biz ieee rec vmsnet comp k12 sci Every attempt has been made to make this a complete collection of news. Comments and/or suggestions regarding the contents of this CD are solicited and can be sent to the address below."
April 19, 2024 at 5:10 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
The mug for our era.
Photograph of a coffee mug with eagle and shield. In the shield it says, "To err is human To really foul things up requires a COMPUTER."
April 16, 2024 at 4:02 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Every day I pass this sign on the way to work. Each time I feel the overwhelming urge to make new and more terrible Robin Williams-themed dad jokes.
White sign by the road with text, written on it in black marker: Morkie Puppies, the ultimate "yap" dog, $800.
March 29, 2024 at 12:52 AM
adamegriff.bsky.social
I'm doing quite a few talks this Spring, the first of which will be on LGBTQ web archiving at the University of Tokyo on Feb 11! I'm super excited for this one, and the conversations that come out of it.
Flyer for February 11-12 colloquium at University of Tokyo on Archiving Digital LGBTQ+ Narratives.
January 22, 2024 at 7:49 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Found some classic phone fashion this weekend.
Photo of Telephone Trinkets, charms for 1990s-era cell phone antennas.
January 22, 2024 at 2:43 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
If you're in Ann Arbor and have some free time and want to hear me chat about the internet of the 1990s, I'll be giving a book talk at UM on Monday, 11/13!
"The Two Revolutions: A History of the Transgender Internet" Avery Dame-Griff Gonzaga University) 11/13 11:45 AM @ NQ 2255 Join in-person or watch live on Zoom Co-Sponsor: Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan Library
November 8, 2023 at 7:05 PM
adamegriff.bsky.social
The quintessential American restaurant.
Photo of a children's food playset named "Steak & Pizza Shack."
November 7, 2023 at 12:54 AM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Found my unofficial #SHOT2023 t-shirt at Goodwill up the street.
Photo of a navy blue t-shirt. The middle illustration has a 5 inch floppy disc, a VHS tape, and a cassette tape holding hands. Underneath it says "Never forget."
October 27, 2023 at 12:44 AM
adamegriff.bsky.social
Even though our maples are losing their leaves, this snapdragon is still somehow going strong.
Photo of a red and yellow snapdragon plant planted at the base of a tree, surrounded by fallen red leaves.
October 22, 2023 at 4:38 PM