my internet rant and overdue update

Since I only intended the blog to be something that I updated while travelling, with pictures and stories, I never foresaw the time when there would be an unattended link out there on the internets. This seems like a crime, that a consumer of information should be inconvenienced by reading the same page over and over. What about those of us who seek fulfillment by scouring every last page of the internet, looking for something new and looking for updates on our regular websites? The internet is its own universe, it is a frontier of sorts. It is a place where we humans, who have explored every other frontier on this planet, go to explore. We explore, bravely and boldly. Tonight I learned how relative humidity is measured and why it is always lower indoors in the wintertime (I then returned to my original task of researching different humidifiers.) I also learned about car engines, things like inline and V Cylinders, Camshafts and crankshafts, intake and exhaust valves. And on top of that, I researched how banks make more and more money off of fee income vs. deposits (in preparation for a meeting with my local bank). These are really good things to know, I thank the power of the internet for putting such useful information at my fingertips. For those of us who want to learn about a large number of topics, there is no single resource as powerful as the internet. This is a good thing. It satisfies undying curiousity.

"While I'm at it, let me check e-bay and see if I can pick up yet another pair of skis for a good price. And I better transfer some money into my checking account. You know what, better check my email too. And the weather. I wonder if ITunes has that new album by The Roots yet. Better check the news, Drudge Report.com..... no kidding, Gerald Ford and James Brown died, bummer. Hmmm, Britney and Paris and Lindsay were dancing together on the sunset strip, wow, nice pictures." This is the bad side of the internet. It becomes addictive. Many of us rely on the internet for personal finance, travel, health, communication, news, music, movies, shopping, marketing and research. This seems convenient. We can do all of these things in one place. I often wonder how much this convenience contributes to the number of new tasks we try to take on. I wonder how many of us try to fit some otherwise meaningless activities into our lives just because it is easy to do so. And I wonder how much more time each meaningless activity takes away from something more fulfilling.

Remember back in the early 90s, when we had to go to the library to find a map or an essay, when we had to go to the bank to make a transfer, when we had to use a travel agent or call the 1-800 number of the airline directly? As I've mentioned, the internet has thankfully made these activities as easy as the click of a mouse. Remember, also, when we had to walk through a shopping mall and make purchases with cash or credit card, when we had to go to a record store and carry Records, Tapes and CDs out of the store, when we had to touch and feel and see and smell an object before we felt comfortable buying it? Remember when we had to embarrassingly purchase Playboy or another magazine from some old man or woman at the newstand? Yes, these things are also as easy as the click of a mouse. So while we are online banking, and booking, and mapping, what is the harm in just a few more clicks.

When everything is available at the click of a mouse, does the boundary between useful and useless become invisible?
Will the next generation of consumers be able to differentiate between what is truly a convenience, and what is a scam or a nuisance? Will the next generation even realize that their mere use of the internet is training them to be a consumer just for the sake of consuming, without purpose? Will they be able to break the habit of mindless surfing and evolve into conscious clickers?