Remember when you paid by the minute? Those were the good old days!

as so it was at the beginning....

When you think of how quickly it expanded to become what it is today, it makes you wonder what will come next..... Never say never.

I remember word processors from Radio Shack. And systems by Wang. We've come so far --the big question is where we will go in the next decades. Hard to imagine, except that things will get smaller and faster.

I remember my first bill:) and as for the last sentence... you just never know.. seriously.
rated with hugs

From my standpoint, the Internet is a manifestation of Marshall McLuhan's Global Village probe. Unaddressed, however, is the impact of the new media on everything from politics to the minutiae of daily life. Does it connect us, or disconnect us? Help us or hinder us?

Right now, for example, there's a debate raging because reporters during the sentencing hearing for a murderer were allowed to tweet messages out while it was going on. I knew when I first heard they were going to do it that it was a mistake. No context, no full story. Dribs and drabs of mostly unconnected data. Sheer sensationalism. As far as I'm concerned, it was a mockery of good reporting.

8 inch disks. Huh huh, I said disks.

8 inch disks. Huh huh, I said disks.

In the decade after the invention of the camera, most everything visually creative was proclaimed "dead". No painting, no theater. We'd all just make photos and sit around looking at them. People said that for awhile, then settled down to figure out how to use the camera as a tool. It's the same with computers. For about a decade, after the first Apple appeared, traditional art-making was again proclaimed dead, all art will be digital art, buy Photoshop and update it every year for eight hundred dollars, blah blah. People again set to figuring out how to use technology as a tool, and here we are again.

One prediction I think is kind of funny is that we would stop using paper. I write things digitally now, then print them out. My syllabi used to be two typewritten sheets. Now they're six, plus handouts, PDFs etc etc. It takes several hours to photocopy all the stuff. Dead trees galore.

It's also funny that I can be kinda tech savvy, and yet not know who the NJ housewives are and be a Facebook virgin. That's the cool thing about tools!

Wow, you were quite the pioneer! I admit that I initially scoffed at the whole internet thing, but around 1997, I found a great home at Cafe Utne, and went there almost every day for about 12 years. Left there and came here. I can't imagine my life without the internet.

oh I'd love a time machine!! r.

I remember looking for a song by Moody Blues and finding some midi rendition of it; now I can find almost anything no matter how obscure. What is next?

Hmmmm . . . memories . . . I'd say "those were the days," but I also remember waiting for what seemed like days just to get one page to load . . .

Bell(e):
After I read this I kept seeing that popular graphic image from years ago. You know the one outlining the evolution from ape to homo sapien then ... it becomes an ape again behind the computer.
Uh huh.

OS is the closest I've ever been to a chat room. From what I can gather, it's pretty close at times. ;

I love how you describe connecting to AOL back in the day. As for the rest of it - so eloquently put, as always. I love reading you, though I view the Internet as a more positive thing overall. But just, wow, I am knocked out by your verbal genius and I'm sure that if we were monkeys, even without catapults you'd be able to fling whatever you wanted much further than my puny self! R!!!

I just came into the internet age rather recently. My son hooked up a PC I bought on Ebay for $80.00 and left. It took me months just to find out how to surf the net. I found OS purely by accident. I agree with everything you've written except for educating us, or me. I have learned more in two years about writing and communicating with the written word than I had in my whole life. Like everything else, theres good and bad here and I guess you just try and find the good and leave the bad alone! Great Post~

Oh Bell, you hit the nail on the head, as usual. When I get really discouraged about the level of discourse, I refrain from the internet for a few days. I think FaceBook users are particularily at fault but I might be biased. Maybe I just like my Twitter friends better than my FB "friends." Either way, this web we've created is definitely a blessing and a curse.

ah `
a franishnonspeaker has the coolest name.
The manner that you go on and on is good.
It reminds me of the old farm wintertimes.
Wintertime is when farm meetings happen.
There are winter farm gathers in the hotels.
For example `
PASA will meet`
Workshops happen`
Names are given faces`
I usually hang in hallways`
And play games with children.
The last Farm Convention was`
ACRES in Lexington, Kentucky.
The children know I Love them.
I usually miss the paid gig event.
I did speak with Wendell Berry.
`
When am 'booted-off' the blogs`
I read daily.
So - today`
`
*
What Matters?
Economics for a Renewed Commonwealth.
Forward by Herman E. Daley
*
It's interesting. Not boring.
`
"Faustian Economics"

It's to steer from this present
chaos, and change so we hope,
and with urgency we be clear,
honest, and sustain common`
wealth ...
or,
this financial obfuscation is`
more of the vain on and on`
empty vocabulary, more woe`
financial asylum a` more woe`
citizen inmate (us)`more despair`
and people who are mere victims`
and people will know disillusion.
`
Wendell Berry has a lawyer brother.
I believe they etc., manage a bank.
It's the old honest neighborly bank.
His brother practices law in Kentucky.
Stop in about lunch? Shelbyville, KY.
The founder of the town was born, ho.
A town I live in is where Shelby was born.
I hear he bad. I hear he was a bounty hunter.
Some say brother Jacob was a indian hunter.
You cant believe everything you read in news.
I hear he left my small village for moonshines.

We waited until TV screens were rectangular before we bought one, and I waited until we got the Internet work before went online at home. I kind of envy you that pioneering experience. I love your analogy.

Bell; I just love your take on life. too funny.r

The evolution of the "revolutionary" tool--I like the way you detail your personal journey in this post. I love the leveling--access to information and people and ways of connecting, and I dislike the lack of diversity that seems to sometimes be part of it. I hope they don't invent a time machine either, but I wouldn't mind the ability to transfer my physical presence elsewhere more expediently. Or would I?

Remember dial-up? I had my first PC about 1980. I got in pretty early and have tried to remain up to date (for an old lady) Having kids late in life has certainly kept me up to date - though they won't friend me on Facebook!

Things change so fast I almost forgotten about those days. I had a friend who was a computer operator when no one had them but corporations and they were as big as a building. She made megabucks but we used to tell her she needed to find a "real job". Who'da thunk it?

Beautiful and thoughtful piece. The internet is a powerful tool, but tools are only as beneficial as their users. For better or worse, the internet exaggerates both our best and worst qualities -- and of course, bad behavior always attracts more attention than good behavior. A pity!

In 1964, the NY Worlds Fair futuristic exhibit imagined that man would have flying cars by now. Nobody dreamt that we'd be staring into screens all day long (computers, cell phones, TVs, iPads etc.) This will probably get worse. , or better, depending on your outlook.

"...we're all vying for audience and approval."

I'm here. I'm applauding [sound of more than one hand clapping].

The original green screens evolving into blue screens of death. The internet is the most important advancement in communications since the Gutenberg printing press.

Bellwether, my first computer was my father's laptop, which he gave me because he was convinced that it was necessary for school. It had a 3 GB hard drive and was considered one of the best machines on the market. I believe that my father had a discount and it was just over three thousand dollars. For me, those were the "good old days" and they do not seem that long ago.

- thank you for this trip down 'Memory Lane', when RAM was really very expensive.

This is not just an homage to the present that might have been;
not just a nostalgia fest.

This is brilliant.

And oh, so sad.

I remember the hooting. Like the first time I connected to Amazon, back in the days when they sent customers Christmas presents (only a travel cup, but still - a present!).

What do you think makes all those alien abductions possible, if not time machines? It's our future, come back to torment us.

the original PCs and Compuserve in the 1980s - and when my office bought them, we thought we were such hot snot. flinging shit on the Compurserve forums was a daily occurrence. ah, the good old days. great piece, bell.

as for your time machine, have you read "Time And Again" by Jack Finney, written back in 1970?

I remember.....and now skype, just like the Jetson's promised us. A shit launcher? cool, I have always wanted my own rocket launcher, kinda similar.

Since I was a self-admitted early geek, I was online before people realized they could make money on their content. One day I located a complete annotated collection of Shakespeare's works on some University's site. It was like striking gold.

Lezlie

Oh this takes me back. The chat rooms [could get in trouble there!] Who knew an O.S. would someday show up? It's worth it to stay cutting edge even though we're "old." rated.

Elijah -- It was Biblical, that beginning.

Cartouche -- No, I'd never say never! I hope I'm amazed by what happens next. That would be a relief.

Lea -- Our first home computer was a Kaypro with a CP/M operating system, pre-DOS. I don't have nostalgia for THOSE days!

Linda -- Mr. Vance and I used to have huge (for us) arguments about the AOL bill. I reasoned it was cheaper than going out for dinner each weekend. (And I was right.)

Boanerges -- I have the same sort of concerns when I see the mug shots in the online version of our local paper. These people aren't convicted of anything, yet, this technology allows them to be paraded along "main street" for the entertainment and derision of others.

Overworks -- 8 inch disks?? You make me wish I'd been born earlier!!! In my time they were 3. 5!! That's reverse evolution.

Greenheron -- I think there will always be a market for the older "hands on" arts, and especially for those that manage to incorporate the best of the old and the best of the new (kind of like cooking...moving from traditional, having access to the ingredients of the present).

Jeanette -- I remember listening to an NPR reporter laugh about how he scoffed at his office's "Network" and Madonna who he labeled a flash in the pan. History always has surprises for us!

Jonathan -- You're probably the ONE person I'd wish had a time machine!

Maryway -- Yep. There are definitely some amazing things about the internet. No denying that. I couldn't DO without it. I just wish the information we all know will need to be forgotten (or at least obscure) wasn't granted the same level of importance as things we need to hold dear. Context isn't the internet's strong suit.

Owl -- Yeah! I get impatient if things don't come up NOW!

Scarlett -- That may be why I feel most at home here. A sense of connection, the possibility of friendships based upon a strong foundation of admiration, earned and cultivated over time.

Alysa -- I think it is a positive thing, destined to fall short of expectations of those early days. I don't mean to minimize the connections that are made here (and on other sites)...I'm still hopeful. All of my online-to-real life interactions have been wonderful!!

Scanner -- I know this post comes from an unrealistic vision of how things used to be, and I -- of course -- still rely upon the internet for a lot of information, education and social interaction. My disappointment is merely a product of reaching (dreaming) too high.

Franish -- That's it -- a blessing and a curse.

Art -- As always, your stream of consciousness response leaves me feeling inadequate and blessed.

Matt -- Those were heady days, but I imagine you experienced the same feelings no matter when you hopped on board.

Hugs -- Thanks for reading. I am amused, when I look back and think of how seriously I viewed this social experiment.

Sophieh -- If I were to invent a time machine, you'd definitely be one of the ten people I'd invite on board. Your steady, easy-going, free spirit would be just the thing for such a journey!

Trilogy -- Ah. So tricky. The "friending your kids." Like you, I do try to remain technologically relevant for my kids. I don't want to be one of those Dagnabbit Seniors who eschew everything new and unfamiliar.

Kate -- Although my feelings are complicated, I do thank GOD every day for this little machine on my desk!!!

Fay -- I remember touring my husband's work place and being led through a room with computers the size of refrigerators. The idea of having one AT HOME! was unthinkable!!

Felicia -- You're exactly right. It does magnify our flaws -- I'm not sure it magnifies our goodness quite as effectively, but I think that's the human side coming through. We rubberneck toward the negative.

John -- Flying cars aren't for everyone. I'd rather my elderly mother were hooked on internet poker. In that case a stall in technology is a good thing.

Stim -- I agree with you. The equal access to publication is, in itself, revolutionary.

Catherine -- They weren't that long ago! Here's the weird pr interesting thing -- despite being raised in a home where we were on the forefront of personal computers, both my children have dropped off their virus-laden/broken computers at our home (daughter is at art school. son is living aboard his boat) with no real concern about when they'll have internet connection! I'm still not sure what that means from a sociological perspective.

Connie -- Thank you! I'm not maudlin, merely perplexed. Things have veered into areas I never expected. I'm trying not to be disappointed. We can only adapt. I think if E.M. Forster were still here he might amend his directive to that -- "only adapt."

Mumble -- We were so full of ourselves -- so PROUD of our abilities to...type. Ahem. In the time of time machines, with your apocalyptic preparations, I think we'd need to leave you HERE to take care of everyone else!

Femme -- I have read that book! I love it! I fear it's fantasy, and that if most of us had a time machine we might go back and rethink the gold metallic fabric of our prom dress...something as inconsequential.

Lilly -- Skype is amazing! There are definitely advancements taking place as we speak. My fear is that for every "positive" use there's someone scheming about how to use it for nefarious purposes. No way around that, I know. But it does put a damper on the euphoria.

Lezlie -- Yes! As an early internet pioneer, I remember having access to information for my classes. It was truly a revolutionary tool, even then, with a fraction of the information available. Our children take it for granted.

Deb -- Those chat rooms were...dangerous! I'm happy I discovered OS as well. I think without OS, I might have given up writing for lack of an audience. You can only write in isolation, without feedback (or rejection feedback from a dying print industry) before you give up, start thinking about training dogs. Or maybe that's just me.

There is so much truth to the thought that our technological advances have exceeded our morality and consciousness. At some point personal accountability has got to become our number one priority. And on it goes...:)

"Anonymity is one thing; invisibility is another."
Rated for use of "choate" and food for thought.

love the last line!

Great post! I enjoyed the trip down memory lane - back to the good old 90s. My first inkling of how powerful the internet was going to become came from my wife's first interaction with it. Back in the mid-90s she was seriously addicted to cigarettes. She tried often to quit, but it never ended well. Somewhere around 1995, or 96 I bought my first dial-up modem and hooked it up to our computer. At that time it was all text, no graphics, but my wife found a Usenet support group for people trying to stop smoking. I wasn't sure that an anonymous group would be able to help more than family and friends, but I couldn't see it doing any harm either. She ended up making a lot of online friends in that group, all of them going through the same thing at the same time, and although she never met any of them in person, they seemed to give each other strength. It has been nearly 16 years now since her last cigarette. I can't say that the internet support group was solely responsible for her success, but I truly believe it helped.

I used Prodigy before AOL. I remember being completely enthralled by the whole thing. And really, it hasn't been that long, has it? We've come pretty far, pretty fast.

Crazy, man, crazy.

Every day we live becomes a good old day. -R-

Susan -- I think my main worry is that I, personally, have taken the lazy route. I'm the chimp with the catapult! I hope there are people out there with resolute ideas about where the internet ought to be headed.

Lucy -- Yeah! Choate. Right? (Makes me think I need to answer Ann Nichols' Fatal Flaw Open Call.)

Brian B. -- Thanks! Can you imagine, though -- a time machine? I remember an Onion article about how a teenager got a ride in a time machine. He said it was "all right."

William -- I would never downplay the support and influence and potential the internet has to connect similarly situated individuals -- there's the case there the anonymity is a definite conduit to the kind of intimacy and unburdening necessary for a shamed (be it cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, gambling) person to feel at least somewhat comfortable. I'm glad she found that kind of community!

Odetter -- It doesn't seem like that long ago. Don't you wish you could recapture that enthrallment? It was heady!

Christine -- Indeed!

Met my honey online 10 years ago. Those were the days...

What a great and interesting post, Bellwether! The internet still seems magical to me, this huge collective consciousness. I wonder what the net effect of it is on our world, that is a good question...

Yes, things certainly have changed. I once got TOSsed for using the word "shit" in an AOL chatroom. Now the F-bomb is routine on the Internet -- hell, I use it myself on occasion.

But our changing mores aren't just a function of the Internet. VP Joe Biden was caught saying "this is a big fucking deal" on live TV, and former VP candidate and supposedly devout Christian exemplar Sarah Palin just dropped "WTF" into one of her inane insane diatribes without batting a fake eyelash.

Nowhere are changing mores more apparent than in TV ads. Suggestive ads for ED products saturate -- forgive the word -- the screen. Smiling Bob is a cult figure, Viagra goes Vegas-Elvis, and actors in Cialis commercials lick their eyebrows while sitting naked in tubs.

Then there's the content of movies and television shows themselves. They've degenerated to the point that simulated sex leaves nothing to the imagination. If it hasn't happened already -- and some say it has -- some of the scenes in mainstream movies aren't simulations.

I suspect it won't be long before there's live sex on TV. Damn it, if I want porn, I want it the old-fashioned way -- I'll pay for it!

Where's my recipe? I thought there was always a recipe, Bell. I feel a little gypped, but did love the visual you offered in it's stead. fliiiiinnnngggg!

(Skype and Vonage make it possible to stay visually and audibly connected with our crazy adventurers an ocean away, you know, and it's FREE. Now THAT is progress.)

This is such a terrific take on the personal tale of technology. rated

your tags made me laugh
and this goes to show how flawed we can be, even if our technology can sometimes be wondrous
the first time my husband and I got a computer and had internet service we just stared at it, then I remembered the only url I had read about on a magazine
kodak.com
the first website I ever visited

I was an AOL Guide. Name was Guide TOT. I ran one of the mac help rooms. I met my husband there. He was one of those people who would hang out there and then IM me the correct answers to mac questions because I didn't know squat. I was there for the free account and to not have to stalk the halls of chatrooms, looking for people who typed four letter words.

I also worked the kids rooms. AOL had real Saturday morning kid rooms. Where the dialogue went something like this:

kid number 1: Hiy
kid number 2: Hy
kid number 3: hay
kid number 4: hi;lo anny body here?

my job was in fact to keep an eye out for predatory types. they were pretty easy to spot because they spelled correctly and the kids would IM me and tell me if one IM'd them.

The kids loved my name. One boy called me Guide TITs. So I send his child ass rocketed back to his sign on screen for a few hours.

I rarely tossed but when I did, the power was fantastic! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. :)

just call me m'aam. :)