Weblog

So, I moved to a new place, and I don't have Internet yet. It's different for me. Without the Internet, I'm disconnected from the world of… well, I'm disconnected from the world, and it's really pathetic. Within a period of fifteen years, it went from an esoteric contraption to something that you couldn't find a job without. Whenever some sort of modern device breaks down and somebody complains about it, my reflex response is to just point out that humanity survived perfectly fine before cars, phones, television, etc. With Internet, it's even more that case for me. I myself had never lived before cars, phones or television. As long as I can remember, we had those sort of conveniences, but the Internet, despite my being introduced to it way before you probably were,¹ is still a recent introduction. All in all, I'm not complaining. Having the Internet available to you at a moment's notice means that I have access to a wealth of information² as well as being able to keep in touch with many of my long lost friends.

However, I like the fact that I don't have Internet. It reminds me of how life was before it entered our lives and changed everything. It's interesting to see what you can do with a computer without the Internet. Killing Italians and Nazis currently ranks among my top newly rediscovered uses.

Then, there's the television. The Internet has been labeled by some as the television killer. Networks are trying desperately to develop new programming and different distribution methods. I can't say that I'm a fan of the crap³ that airs as cartoons on Saturday mornings, but some of the programming there is some of the best that has been on television.

Lastly, there is reading. I didn't do so much reading as a child. My fifth-grade teacher considered it a problem that I only read the nerd, technical books instead of the books that were “about people”. I was so outraged that she considered that to be a problem. I still do today. However, that teacher-person was totally right. I've considered it a mark of pride that, just since graduating from college, I've gotten through Moby Dick, Call Of The Wild, The Scarlet Letter, The Black Tulip and Don Quixote as well as reading every word of every Time Magazine published in 2009. The fact is that, without the Internet, it's been even more of that — reading the collection of books that have stood the test of time.

What it comes down to is that life these past few weeks reminds me of what life was like when I was growing up. I'm not saying that I really prefer one over the other: they both have their advantages and disadvantages. It's still nice to live life a little differently and to remember that humans did live just as well before their modern conveniences. Well, that's easy to remember. Practicing it really lets you see that.

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1. Think dialing into the school district's phone numbers to access a UNIX terminal where you could check your e-mail with Pine and browse the web with Lynx. If you even remember using Gopher, I concede.
2. Which is an understatement.
3. Which is also an understatement.