A few weeks ago I realized I had spent half of my life with high speed Internet, and half without. I tried to think of all the memorable experiences I'd had with computers, and pretty much every one I could think of[1] were from the pre-high speed Internet era. Most were from before having any Internet.
I mentioned this to a similar aged friend, and he thought about it and said it applied to him too.
Which leads to the question: Why am I spending so much time on the Internet? I spend a lot more time on the computer. Where is it going and why am I no longer enjoying it?
What did I do pre-Internet?
- Played games. Lots and lots of them. When I was younger I often felt I had played too many games and bemoaned the time lost. Looking back now at so many good experiences I had with games, I don't regret it one bit. I should get back into playing games (I stopped a long time ago).
- Wrote code for fun. Wrote simple silly games. Wrote programs to produce the Mandelbrot fractal. Today I write code to help me solve problems, but not for fun.
- Toyed with programs like POV-Ray
- Generally explored interesting SW
What do I do today on the computer?
- Read articles
- Write code to solve problems (automate boring tasks, improve my web site, etc)
- Email
- Productivity related stuff (TODO management, finances, etc).
- Looking up stuff (Google Maps, Yelp, Stackoverflow)
- Shopping, online banking, paying bills, scheduling medical appointments, booking flights, etc.
I'd say perhaps 90% of that time is using the browser. Getting a consistent interface is pretty much an experience killer.
I've certainly learned a lot with all that reading. And my code I write really does solve problems. But none of it is fun or memorable.
Conclusion? I traded enjoyable experiences for utility. It was not a good trade.
[1] And I could think of many!