Popular Post Road Runner Posted March 5, 2017 Popular Post Share #1 Posted March 5, 2017 Or do we just take it for granted these days? Something Ralph said about encyclopedias and wikipedia reminded me of thoughts I have had recently about how fantastic the internet can truly be. We have SO much information at our fingertips today, while just a short time ago, we had squat, comparatively speaking. Remember when you had to drive to the library or to the bookstore if you wanted to research anything? Encyclopedias helped some, but never provided enough data or detail. 20 or so years ago, you had to buy crappy maps and rely on the yellow pages to find professional services. Google is truly amazing. A thought or question pops in your head? Just google it and you have the answer in seconds! I had to visit a doctor's office recently in a part of a neighboring city that I wasn't familiar with. Google maps not only shows me how to get there, but I can go street view and experience driving up to the office before I have even been there! Years ago, there was an excellent chance I would have gotten lost attempting that same route, at least temporarily. These are great times, informationally speaking. Not so sure about the overall impact of the social media portion of the internet, but the information part is definitely earth shattering stuff. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UglyBob Posted March 5, 2017 Share #2 Posted March 5, 2017 I can't begin to tell you how many hours, day and weeks its probably saved in research time for my writing. Not to mention the impact social media has had on promotion and sales. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted March 5, 2017 Share #3 Posted March 5, 2017 Google and Wikipedia are the ultimate in usability. Wham, bang, thank you maam! Hmm, let's go research David Bowie and Suffragette City. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted March 5, 2017 Author Share #4 Posted March 5, 2017 OTH, maybe the ease of acquiring information is making us all fat and lazy. The thought of having to get up off my ass and go find the dictionary to look up, "sanguine", is truly repulsive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caretaker Posted March 5, 2017 Share #5 Posted March 5, 2017 I think we over value the internet. What's the problem with cycling to the library? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted March 5, 2017 Share #6 Posted March 5, 2017 No, we don't fully appreciate it. The last twenty years have been truly amazing with it's development, once we were able to graduate away from dial-up modems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Prophet Zacharia Posted March 5, 2017 Popular Post Share #7 Posted March 5, 2017 2 minutes ago, Caretaker said: I think we over value the internet. What's the problem with cycling to the library? To use their internet? 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted March 5, 2017 Author Share #8 Posted March 5, 2017 54 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said: To use their internet? True. Last time I was in the local library, the huge area in the very middle of the library was PC land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caretaker Posted March 5, 2017 Share #9 Posted March 5, 2017 1 minute ago, Prophet Zacharia said: To use their internet? No, I'm talking about when there wasn't any. Probably before your time when people acquired knowledge the hard way and consequently valued it more. Now they spend their time posting emoticons and regurgitating stuff they've just Googled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted March 5, 2017 Share #10 Posted March 5, 2017 2 minutes ago, Caretaker said: No, I'm talking about when there wasn't any. Probably before your time when people acquired knowledge the hard way and consequently valued it more. Now they spend their time posting emoticons and regurgitating stuff they've just Googled. I had to walk to the computer lab while in college to do assignments. These are better days. The average adult spends more than 20 hours online a week, which includes time spent on the internet at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caretaker Posted March 5, 2017 Share #11 Posted March 5, 2017 1 minute ago, Prophet Zacharia said: I had to walk to the computer lab while in college to do assignments. You poor thing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted March 5, 2017 Author Share #12 Posted March 5, 2017 2 minutes ago, Caretaker said: Now they spend their time posting emoticons and regurgitating stuff they've just Googled. But we wouldn't have time to do this if we had to be constantly going back and forth to the library. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted March 5, 2017 Share #13 Posted March 5, 2017 2 minutes ago, Caretaker said: You poor thing. I find it amusing that you are griping about internet use in an on-line forum. With almost 2300 posts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted March 5, 2017 Author Share #14 Posted March 5, 2017 1 minute ago, Prophet Zacharia said: I find it amusing that you are griping about internet use in an on-line forum. POTD 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caretaker Posted March 5, 2017 Share #15 Posted March 5, 2017 6 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said: I find it amusing that you are griping about internet use in an on-line forum. The world is as it is. There was a time when it wasn't and some of us can evaluate 'progress'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted March 5, 2017 Share #16 Posted March 5, 2017 I hate the internet, and it hates me. It started one day when I made a joke, but the internet is the sensitive sort, and I offended it. Ever since that day, it gives me the cold shoulder unless I can help it in some way. I am actually surprised that the internet has survived as is without drawing massive government interference and putting their grubby mitts on it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeman564™ Posted March 5, 2017 Share #17 Posted March 5, 2017 5 hours ago, Road Runner said: Remember when you had to drive to the library or to the bookstore if you wanted to research anything? Yes. In college for a research paper. I had to find articles on microfiche and pay a dime or quarter IIRC to print the page. What a PITA. During that time in 1993, bibliography formats were just being revised to include CD-ROM references. One option for a research topic was to look at the front page of the NY Times from the day we were born and chose a headline. There was something on there w/ nuclear energy so I did my paper on that. I can't remember the details. Now information is at our fingertips, but you need to be careful on accuracy. From an engineering point of view, I rely on printed text, or a few engineering websites for data. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team scooter Posted March 5, 2017 Share #18 Posted March 5, 2017 I posted this before. A few months ago we were out to dinner and everyone was looking down surfing the webs on their phones. If it wasn't for the webs, we would have needed to think up actual conversions and use our voices to formulate words and stuff. Sending texts and emails across the table is much easier. #trythefishitsdelicious 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted March 6, 2017 Share #19 Posted March 6, 2017 2 hours ago, team scooter said: I posted this before. A few months ago we were out to dinner and everyone was looking down surfing the webs on their phones. If it wasn't for the webs, we would have needed to think up actual conversions and use our voices to formulate words and stuff. Sending texts and emails across the table is much easier. #trythefishitsdelicious I remember our waitress thinking it was hilarious when my wife and I had just came in for lunch after leaving the phone store. I had gone over to the dark side and my wife had an android. We were texting each other with our new phones and taking pictures of each other. It was just a case of playing with a new toy but the waitress was amused. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted March 6, 2017 Share #20 Posted March 6, 2017 The internet has been declared an essential service in Canada. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted March 6, 2017 Share #21 Posted March 6, 2017 20 hours ago, Longjohn said: I remember our waitress thinking it was hilarious when my wife and I had just came in for lunch after leaving the phone store. I had gone over to the dark side and my wife had an android. We were texting each other with our new phones and taking pictures of each other. It was just a case of playing with a new toy but the waitress was amused. I followed the Tour one summer. Scarce wifi opportunities through the remote mountain towns we visited. One day we found an English Pub with english speaking staff and free wifi. We were torn between speaking English and updating family back home! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 6, 2017 Share #22 Posted March 6, 2017 I love it! Information, entertainment, better cycling selection and prices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Further Posted March 7, 2017 Share #23 Posted March 7, 2017 Is it worse to come home from school to find your mother waiting for you with your Playboy collection, that she found under your bed, or, have your mother bring up your history on your phone ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted March 7, 2017 Share #24 Posted March 7, 2017 For sure the crinimals love it - nice of the gubment to build a pathway right into all the banks and shit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedysmed Posted March 7, 2017 Share #25 Posted March 7, 2017 Voters are still dense and stupid and maybe worse these days. Look at who we have in office now. Bunch of conservative nitwits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted March 7, 2017 Share #26 Posted March 7, 2017 The internet is a tool. Like any tool, it can be used well or it can be used poorly. One can gather up research material or child pornography. The choice is yours. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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