R.I.P., Rufus, First Dog of the Internet Revolution

Today I will be attending a memorial service for a dog. A very important dog, at least in the history of the Internet revolution of the 1990s in Seattle. Yet while Amazon.com would not have been the same place--and probably could not have launched each successive store--without the help of Rufus, Rufus was not a spotlight hog. He preferred to trot around in the background, very low to the ground.

Let me explain. Rufus's mom and dad were Susan and Eric Benson, the lead editorial and development strategists, respectively, of Amazon in its very earliest days, hired away by Jeff Bezos from Netscape. (Susan, it should be disclosed, was my boss at Amazon, and remains to this day one of the best bosses I have ever had, in any job, anywhere.)

Susan and Eric don't have children, but they had Rufus, a self-contained and contented Corgi -- for 15+ years. And Rufus was a constant around the office at Amazon, back in the cruddy old Columbia Building where we were all making history at all hours of the night.

Tradition had it that with each new store "launch"--I worked on the DVD/Video store, which launched in Fall 1998--it was Rufus whose paw "hit the button" at midnight to make the store go live. I'm sure there are photos of these moments in history--I hope today we'll get to see a few.

For a long time, Rufus's likeness was even sprinkled throughout the site, a helpful dog cartoon who'd appear in your shopping pipeline or on your suggested products pages. I'm certain there are still some Easter egg pages with Cartoon Rufus on them (send links if you have them).

Sweet old Rufus died several months ago, and in a few days he would have been 16. So today a bunch of FORs (Friends of Rufus) will be gathering at the Bensons--Jen & Liffy, Neil and Rose, Manine, Barrie and more--to celebrate the life of Rufus, the amazing experience of working with Rufus's mom and dad, and the good old days of the Web.

When a Corgi could launch a whole new website.

Anne & Rob's Excellent Ideas

Rob C. and I had a great time with his wife, Gael, and their daughter, Kelly, at the Puyallup, but the coolest thing was realizing that Rob would make an excellent addition to The Idea Factory, LLC, started by Francine and me.

Genius ideas that we are taking out patents on right now include:

1. The Taser App. Every single woman in America will want one, just as soon as we figure out the volt/battery situation, and the weapons laws in every state. (Milder versions can be rigged for teens who have bad posture.)

2. Speeding School. This has the bonus of creating jobs in the economy, too -- everyone in the country has the *option* (for you Libertarians out there) to take and get certified in a drive-fast-but-smart course. This will cover: Wise use of the left lane, responsible and artful passing and lane changing, smart cornering and in general excellent use of the vehicle, the road, and the time you have available. Those who pass are given free reign in the left lanes across America. (This was Rob's, so he will get most of the royalties for this. And they will be huge.)

Well, there are more (ask us about the 30-foot-2-way-radio app, BumCluster(R), and neck tattoos that are really comfortable and removable dickies.

You're welcome!

What Would You Say If....

....you got these two e-mails from someone from your past, within hours of each other:

1. "You are my ideal woman, I am certain I am in love with you, you are my soulmate and we would be perfect together. I feel as though I have been searching for you my whole life."

2. "I want to give you a hickey?" [question mark SIC]

No, really, I want to know what you would say.