The Binary Cafe
Encyclopedia
The Binary Café was an internet cafe
which operated on Yonge Street
in Toronto
, Ontario
from approximately June 1994 through December 1994. It is significant in that it was Canada
's first internet cafe. It was run by Steve Bernhardson and staffed by a handful of employees/volunteers.
The full name of the establishment was actually The Binary Café and Hexadecimal
Emporium, a name which reflected the two main components of the space—serving food and drinks, and selling cyberpunk
-related books, magazines, and zine
s.
Internet
access was available through two unimpressive x86 computers, which shared a single
telephone line for their PPP
connection.
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
which operated on Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
from approximately June 1994 through December 1994. It is significant in that it was Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's first internet cafe. It was run by Steve Bernhardson and staffed by a handful of employees/volunteers.
The full name of the establishment was actually The Binary Café and Hexadecimal
Hexadecimal
In mathematics and computer science, hexadecimal is a positional numeral system with a radix, or base, of 16. It uses sixteen distinct symbols, most often the symbols 0–9 to represent values zero to nine, and A, B, C, D, E, F to represent values ten to fifteen...
Emporium, a name which reflected the two main components of the space—serving food and drinks, and selling cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
-related books, magazines, and zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
s.
Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
access was available through two unimpressive x86 computers, which shared a single
telephone line for their PPP
Point-to-Point Protocol
In networking, the Point-to-Point Protocol is a data link protocol commonly used in establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes...
connection.
External links
- Upstairs at the Binary Cafe -- a review of the café (1994 Sep 15)
- Ode to The Binary Cafe... -- a web memorial