For a long time, we were the only "cybercafe" in Canada, let alone Toronto, so we got a smattering of press and other attention. But mostly, life just plodded along in this small world that defied explanation.

[Aaron playing Doom]

Aaron is seen here (if you really squint) playing Doom. We spent countless hours playing over a serial link, pounding fellow employees and customers. Note the Schwa postcard. While it was open, the Binary Cafe was the exclusive retailer of Schwa in Canada.

We almost got in trouble for carrying censored literature (oh, Canada) in what was called "the strangest and most diverse magazine collection in Canada". Rumor had it our Jolt was the non-limited caffeine kind, which had to be smuggled from the U.S. Half the time nothing worked. No one had a clue how to run a business or much else. We experimented with everything from poetry night to X-Files viewing parties to classes.

It was madness and one of the best times I had in my life.

[ticket for a class]

A ticket from one of the handful of classes given at the Binary Cafe.


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