The Etymology of the Notstalgia Archives URL
A rose by any other name would be confusing as we already have the word 'rose'.
Like all great websites, the domain of NotstalgiaArchives.org was not chosen lightly.
It carries weight, history, and, crucially, was available for purchase.
But what does it truly mean?
To answer this, we must embark on a linguistic journey through its constituent parts…
NOTS1
Derived from the Old English nōt, meaning “to mark, observe, or take note of,” this segment signifies the Archive’s dedication to carefully cataloguing and preserving the past.
STAL
From the Proto-Germanic stalą, meaning “place, dwelling, or fixed location,” this section reinforces the notion of a stable repository. The Notstalgia Archives is not a fleeting memory but a firm, unshakable institution - one that, like a particularly stubborn VHS tape, refuses to degrade despite the ravages of time.
GIA
While some people have speculated that this suffix alludes to Gaia, the Greek personification of the Earth (suggesting that all recorded media is a product of our shared cultural soil), those guys are dumb idiots who should get their cannisters inspected.
As any non-idiot can surmise, it stems from the Latin giare, meaning “to cry out.” What is nostalgia, after all, if not a cry across time? Obviously.
ARCH
From the Greek arkhē, meaning “origin” or “beginning,” this segment speaks to the Archive’s mission to trace media back to its roots.
It also conveys a sense of authority, as in “monarch” or “archivist,” reinforcing our responsibility as stewards of forgotten media.
Thirdly, I used to live in Archway and thought it would be cute to reference here in case Stacy (who I lived with at the time) wants to get back together. Stacy - call me. We may have been young but we had something special. Also, I think enough time has past that we can forget what happened with the dog.
IVES
A debated fragment. Some believe it stems from vivere, Latin for “to live,” indicating that through preservation, these lost artifacts remain alive. Others argue it is simply an arbitrary addition to make the name flow better. These people are less fun at parties.
.ORG
We choose this top-level domain as .horse would have been confusing, .co.uk would have been misleading, and using the .com (which we do own) would probably have been more work (we didn’t check).
Thus, when properly dissected, the URL NotstalgiaArchives.org reveals itself as more than just an address - it is a declaration.
A defiant marker of memory, a steadfast dwelling for history, a cry into the void, an origin point, and a living monument to the strange, the forgotten, and the magnificent detritus of culture.
And it’s the one we linked to our Reddit account and no-one here knows how to change it.
N.O.T.S is also coincidentally the nickname of Natsume Nanjirou, protagonist of the 1997 Japanese CGI educational series Takahashi Hiroshi’s HyperNet Adventure. Nanjirou learns that URLs must be chosen wisely, lest one accidentally summon a sentient AI librarian who deletes history in real-time. This was an unintentional influence on our domain decision, but a guiding principle nonetheless.
