Holy crap I hate computers. I'm reminded of it every time I use Blogger. It's like a punch in the stomach every time my computer freezes. And yesterday I almost chewed my cheeks off in frustration when our provider decided to tie a knot in my Internet umbilical cord.

I found out yesterday just how much I rely on the Internet. I no longer have the capacity to sit in ignorance. I don't have the patience to go down to the library to search for facts. I use whitepages.com.au, yellowpages.com.au and the Sydney Morning Herald website infinitely more frequently than their non-virtual counterparts[1]. The Internet is my intellectual feeding trough. It's my SCUBA tank in this sea of dark ignorance[2]. I now need it to survive.

So not only was it bad enough that I spend yesterday stewing in my own sweat[3], but I spend half the day clawing my eyes out in frustration. And right when I decided to migrate cechner.com to bluehost.com as well.

:(Of course writing anything here was completely out of the question - I wasn't up to inviting Blogger to kick me in the groin while Swiftel held me down. But today - sweet relief. I forsook my trusty jeans for shorts, conscientiously uncovering the white hairy stilts I wear in place of legs. The air-conditioning in the office seems to be functioning correctly, and of course the Internet loves me again.

On a side note, I don't want the negative tone of this rant to suggest that I think the Internet is a bad thing. I really believe in the empowerment of people through information, and the Internet has proven an invaluable resource for grassroots organisations and the like, allowing them to quickly mobilise demonstrations, publish cheap worldwide newsletters (give it up for globalised Thomas Paine style pamphleteering) and garner information. I'll leave a my thoughts on democracy and information providers for another rant, but needless to say the Internet can only be a boon for global citizens wary of the crap commercial news networks offer. IF one knows where to look the Internet is so much more than a bunch of nerds calling each other ass-hats.

Footnotes
[1] I have not yet fully developed a mature online ego (as has my proto-nerd,) but I know that when that day comes my dependency will be complete. I'll be past hope of redemption by intervention or any other means.
[2] For the purposes of this metaphor, ignorance cannot be breathed, or at least one cannot be sustained on it for long.
[3] Jeans, thick socks and half-working air-conditioning.