I've been saying the Internet
is highly overrated since approximately 1995. I've been
saying computers are highly overrated since 1973.
Therefore, it will not surprise the reader when I state
here in 2003, thirty years after I wrote my first FORTRAN
program for money (as opposed to fun or homework), that
computers are still highly overrated. The Internet hasn't
lived up to all its wild hype either. Neither have the
space program, modern medicine, or the Big Dig but those
aren't the things I'm pissed at right now.
My ISP (theworld) has been off the
air since approximately midnight last night changing
backbones. They are not giving estimates on when they'll
be back anymore. The oldest public access dialup ISP on
the planet is down for the count. The customer support
person has told me twice now that the new dialup numbers
will be on their web site soon. Now exactly how I am
supposed to access their web site if I can't access their
dialups, I 'm not sure. Oh, everybody but me has more
than one ISP right? Then why do I need them at all? When
I called the Beach Boys to see if they could get the new
dialup numbers off the web site, my brother couldn't
resist saying "It's the end of the world as we know it."
Indeed.
Finally, I installed AOL and
created a screen name so I could use email for some
crisis stuff and periodically check theworld's web page
for signs of life without bothering the Beach Boys. So
here I am acknowledging dependence on something I think
is overrated and over hyped. Grrr. The really odd thing
is that except for email, I really don't need it.
Posting my sporadic and poorly written journal entries
(which are still not a trendy blog), ordering antiquated
books I can't afford from alibris, checking the bird
sightings on massbird.... all of these I can live without
especially since I can't drive to wherever the birds are
being sighted anyway and did I mention I can't afford any
more 19th century books? Fortunately, I already did my
online filing for unemployment and ritual perusal of the
help wanted ads. Yeah, who needs the Internet?
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Today's Reading
Sea Room by Adam Nicolson, A Tour in
Sutherlandshire by Charles St. John
This Year's Reading
2003
Book List
Today's Starting
Pitcher
Jeff Suppan
Red Sox Magic
Number
5
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