Just about the first award of any sort that disassociated collected was being named the Coolstop “best of the cool daily pick” way back on 27 June 1999.

Created by Joe Jenett in January 1998, the daily pick award, or notation, harks back to a web experience many today would find unfamiliar.

It was a time when web designers were the online superstars (some at least), and website design was based on bold visual interfaces.

Many of these websites presented standards compliance and usability issues, but if they weren’t melting down our 33k modems, we were in awe of their raw creativity and ingenuity. Blogs were virtually unheard of.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

I’ve heard some people refer to today’s web as being “grown up”. And while the so called “Web 2.0″ is a little more organised and sophisticated, it is possibly also a little… boring.

We also want a piece of the make money online action while cowering in fear of being “bitch slapped” by Google.

Boom cha.

It looks like we have to go back out onto the streets, and make a nuisance of ourselves, to have fun. Again.

A few days ago Joe announced he was discontinuing the best of the cool daily pick, and was considering some new ideas for Coolstop.

I used to enjoy checking the daily pick to see what new discovery Joe had made. Daily pick was no misnomer either. That’s precisely what it was. Daily. As in everyday. Even holidays. And without pause since January 1998.

That’s quite a feat no matter what way you look at it.

I certainly look forward to seeing what Joe has planned next for Coolstop, but in the meantime the first ten years are archived for your viewing pleasure. Too see all of this though, be warned, you may need to block off a solid week or two…