Apparently ten years ago, something was in the water:

Two very different people launched two very different sites; and ten years on they're both still going. I've read both of them pretty regularly for the past five years, since I became a professional web developer. I have occasionally described myself as "more Zeldman than Nielsen" in my approach to web development. I frequently disagree with Jakob, rarely disagree with Jeffrey and shouldn't really use their first names ;) Zeldman is generally "make it better" but Nielsen often slips to "make it more stupid" ;) I keep to a limit between making a website usable and letting users be really dumb.

It takes a lot of commitment to run a website for ten years (my longest-running site has been up for nine years) and even more commitment to keep it relevant and influential.

So, happy birthday to Jeffrey Zeldman Presents and Alertbox; and kudos to the guys who have made them happen.