Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.
GeekNights 070312 - No Internets
Tonight on GeekNights there are no news or things of the day. We have no Internet, so we have no idea what is happening in the world, nor have we discovered any new entertaining things to share with you. Bear with us as we tell the story of our recent web withdrawal, and ponder the role of the net in our lives.
Comments
Goddamn. I love that stupid joke to death. I blame Dave and Joel.
On to the topic of the Monday episode:
A few months ago I had a similar realization of how dependent I have become of the Internet. It was a very busy period, and I did not have extra time to spend on unforeseen problems. Then four things happened at the same time:
1. I run out of money on my Visa card account, and had to transfer more money from another account. I use a really practical and cheap Internet only bank.
2. I was running out of food.
3. I had run out of money on my prepaid cell phone a few days before, which didn't bother me since I also have an IP phone to call from.
4. Of course, the Internet connection died.
Suddenly I had no phone I could use to call my ISP to report the problem or check what was going on. I had no money for food. I could have transferred more money in seconds had either the Internet connection or the cellphone been working, but I could not get the phone to work without getting into my Internet bank first. It was a real catch 22, and it took me three very frustrating days to get out of the mess. It was actually a bit scary. On top of those practical problems I couldn't get my hourly dose of Internet goodness either.
I have sympathy for your situation!
Why when I was in school we had these things called Encyclopedias that we purchased at the grocery store "Hey look mom, the Hi-Ko book just came out!" If I wanted to look something up I went and got the encyclopedia from the bookcase and looked it up. If there was not enough information I went to the library and looked on the micro-fiche.
The Internet has made for some very lazy people. Rather than learn things many people just learn "where to look" for things.
"Why should I learn about the Franco-Prussian war when I can just use Wikipedia," is a common question you hear these days. The problem with the approach of using Wikipedia to answer questions and trivia is that you don't truly learn about what happened and why. You may learn that General Pierre Louis Charles de Failly was in charge of the French side at the battle of Beaumont but what do you learn about the general and the reasons for the conflict in the first place?
Read a book ya damn Internet hippies!
So by the time it would take you to find one book using the Dewie decimal system, I have located several reliable resources from the internet. If I need any of the books from the libraries, all it takes is a drive over there to pick it because you can usually reserve books online. I still don't understand what you mean by not learning from information on Wikipedia though.
"How can I learn and retain information about this subject"
TO
"How can I use a search engine to find information that I will later forget and have to use the same search engine in the future to find it again."
It's a dangerous move from learning and retaining knowledge to "learning where to look". As we can see from Rym and Scott's weekend of no Internet they were rendered helpless in many situations because they lost the access to information. If they had just learned about things the way the rest of us do (reading movie credits and encyclopedias) than they would have just known this stuff.
I have studied the Interstate road system and understand how it works. I know that if I-95 goes through a city and there is a 295 and a 395 I know (because I took the time to learn this) that these will be circular roads that ring the city. 295 will be closer in than 395.
I also know that even numbered routes are East to West and odd numbers are North to South.
I do not need to use an Internet mapping service unless I require back roads to get somewhere. Even then, most back roads I visit are only a few roads off of a main road. Because of this I still do not need a map.
In regards to trivia, yes the Internet is a wonderful tool. If you use the Internet to learn bits and pieces of something because you are too lazy to learn about the full issue than that is bad. It is bad because you become dependant on the tool.
Why is this bad? Because, unlike a tire iron (which you need to change a tire) the Internet is not a "need" tool.
Steve's just old, don't mind him. He doesn't realize that civilization depends on "not need" tools becoming "need" tools. We need fire, we need electricity, we need water delivery and sewage systems, period. We apparently need guns. Not having these things would set civilization back hundreds or thousands of years. The internet is quickly becoming a "need" tool, if it isn't already. I'm sitting in an office building in a complex with over 10,000 workers, all of whom use the Internet all day, in a company whose entire business would be ruined without the Internet...and our primary line of business has nothing to do with desktop machines, servers, routers, or internet service providing. We make printers and photocopiers.
Rym, Scott, one or both of you really ought to get a wireless data access plan. With just about any phone, you can tether your computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) to the phone (USB, Bluetooth, or other) and get internet access wherever you have cell reception. Now, this is dependent on what services your cell provider has in your area, but it's very likely you have access to a 2G network, which is comparable to dial-up speed. Nearer to New York City, you'll certainly have access to a 3G network like HSDPA or EV-DO, which is comparable to Wi-Fi.
Some specifics:
- T-Mobile gives you unlimited data with their Sidekick plan for $30. You can add a voice plan for $20 or more, or you can just pay by the minute. The Sidekick is a pretty good convergence device; I myself might have one if not for T-Mobile's spotty reception in Rochester.
- Cingular offers a 3G network (HSDPA) in major cities, and is rolling out to cities as dinky as Rochester by this summer. I pay $20/month in addition to my minutes ($10/month on a group plan) to get unlimited data. I tether my phone to my laptop to get connectivity in my office independent of my company's draconian network policies. By summer, my connection rate should increase by orders of magnitude as they install a 3G network, with no increase in cost.
- Verizon has similar data plans. I'm sure every carrier has something similar.
Even if, unlike me, you don't have a use for it every day, isn't it nice to have? I mean, what else can you get for $20/month? 2/5 of a basic cable TV package? 4 meals at Taco Bell? A World of Warcraft account? Porn? A backup DSL connection when your cable dies? (Hmm).
By the way, you don't need a data plan to use your cell phone as a backup. You can just pay by the KB. Just be careful, of course.
I tell you, for guys with a tech podcast, your credentials are sure questionable. Ancient computers from 7 years ago? No backup when the internet goes down? A really slow forum system? (Oh snap!)
You don't have to be the TWiT guys upgrading your core duo MacBooks to core 2 duo MacBooks, or your 2GB iPods to 3GB. But stop pretending like you're still penniless college students! You both have lucrative jobs!
Also, I just bought a new laptop, and my computer is just fine. Rym is the Luddite who refuses to buy new technologies.
Part of the contest is that they have to write an impromptu speech in 20 minutes, I was surprised that some of these kids had facts and figures in their impromptu speeches. Then I remembered that when I did this contest we couldn't write a speech and research random things in 20 minutes! If it wasn't in the encyclopedia I'd have to spend my 20 minutes just finding the info. These kids just go, 'hmm...I'm going to talk about the drought, I'll google it and still have time to write and practice my speech'.