I had been looking for a short, simple domain name for some time. Unfortunately, all of the good ones were taken. When the new top-level domains came out, I started looking again for extremely short names. The .cc domain provided an abundance of available names, and was also extremely short. One of the first computer games I had contact with, and the only game I've spent any significant time playing, is Will Crowther's Colossal Cave Adventure.
One of the locations in the cave is called "Y2", and coincidentally the ".cc" domain can be looked at as an abbreviation for "Colossal Cave". This made for an extremely short domain name with a classic theme.
All of these domains are 5 characters or shorter (Y2 is only 2 characters) and most use the short .cc extension.
Y2 is a memorable room in the original 1976 game. The description reads:
You are in a large room, on the wall of which is a big letter "Y2". There is a large "Y2" on a rock in the room's center. A hollow voice says "plugh."
Saying the magic word plugh here transports you back to the entrance building — one of the game's most iconic shortcuts.
Photo of the real Y2 rock in the Kentucky cave (page 72 of the Jerz PDF)
"Plugh" is a magic word which does special things at location Y2. Some believe it deserves to share the limelight equally with "XYZZY." In the original Crowther version and the expanded Woods version, typing plugh at Y2 instantly returns you to the surface building (and vice versa). It's a beloved piece of early game magic and nostalgia.
"XYZZY" is the magic word. First introduced by Crowther as a teleport between the "debris room" and the Hall of Mists, it became one of the most famous commands in gaming history. Many modern games and easter eggs still reference XYZZY as a nod to this classic.
"Grate" is the place where it all starts — the entrance to the cave system. In the game:
You are in a 20-foot depression floored with broken rock. There is a small stream that runs out of the cave here and down the gully. There is a large iron grate embedded in the rock, blocking the entrance to the cave.
This is where the adventure truly begins once you unlock the grate.
"Mists" refers to the Hall of Mists, one of the earliest and most atmospheric areas in the cave:
You are in a hall of mists. The air is thick and damp. Strange shapes loom in the fog...
This area features twisting passages, mysterious echoes, and some of the first real navigational challenges in the game.
For more information about Colossal Cave Adventure, please see the following web sites devoted to this classic game:
Photo of the real Y2 rock in the Kentucky cave:
View Y2 photos on page 72