Not long ago, my Abyssinian cat (exotic breed) had kidney problems that ended up taking her life. I worked with my vet, of course, but it was the internet and contact with other owners and people who were up on the latest literature and medical practices that guided both the vet and me in our treatment regime. Ten years ago, we would have been calling DVM schools to see what they might know. Now, those same schools have enjoyed an avalanche of knowledge and research results from their own internet contacts.

Since the internet has become an integral part of our cycle of life, it is possibly beyond calculation to understand its true impact. And someday, even Dan Rather will come to understand the power of the little people.

I remain amazed. What many fail to realize is that much of the internet is built upon the backs of those who sling code because they love it, not because it’s paying. Indeed, many wonderful applications available for d/l are free of charge.

Thanks for the flashback, LaShawn. We do take much for granted, don’t we?

You ain’t kiddin’. With all the tremendous advances in technology we’ve seen in the past century, it doesn’t really seem (to me anyway) that things have advanced much in the past 15-20 years. The tremendous space race of the ’60s sputtered out to an occasional Shuttle launch. Cars and planes haven’t changed very much. (And where are the flying cars, dangnabbit!) While computers have continuously gotten faster and faster, the nature of computers themselves hasn’t changed much since the debut of the PC.

But this is something I’ve been thinking about lately (more so since I started blogging, I guess). The Internet has completely transformed the world- in a decade. I honestly can’t remember how we got anything done before the ‘Net came along. How did I do research, way back in high school (mid-’90s)? How on earth did we communicate? With the telephone? That’s so last millenium. It’s absolutely unbelievable how quickly and thoroughly the ‘Net became part of society.

At the risk of sounding corny or melodramatic, I’ll confess that the power of an awesome, expanding, and evolving invention (in my lifetime) like the Internet leaves me breathless.

Well, I’ll second that.

Lashawn Barber has an excellent perspective on the internet and blogging excerpt: You, an ordinary person, can create a blog for free in five minutes. You can play reporter and investigate people, places, and things, and self-publish your news stories….

* RightWing Duck has original material
* Laurence Simon (IMAO version) tries to name his price
* The Astute Blogger foresaw the hotel bombings
* Public Eye (Bachman) says the Dems got way too excited over the election results
* Overtaken By Events…

Work with me people – update your browsers, they’re free!