Do you remember life before the internet?? Could you go back??

[deletetacount123]

I was thinking this today... I was trying to remember what life was like BEFORE I had the internet Its hard... I got the internet in 1995 and have been on it ever since but I did have a computer since i was 8 which was used for kid computer games.

Can I go back to life without the internet?? NO!!!!!!!! I don't think I could last... have you ever been on vacation without the internet... when you get home the first thing you do is turn on the computer lol gotta check your messages and emails... deal with unpacking bags later. hehe

What about you guys??

Tasha

[BlueIris]

I do remember life before the Internet, in fact I can remember life before video games, DVD players, and VCR's!

My father owned a company that sold vending machines and one day decided to expand his business by selling this odd machine called Pong, one of which he brought home for all of us to try out. The world was never the same again!

That was during the time when we only got five channels on the TV and HBO if you could afford the antenna and box to view it. Wow, don't get me started on the radio shows we listened to as children.

[DiamondDog]

I remember life before the internet (as we know it) but I've always had a computer, even in kindergarten I used one in school and my dad had one he used for work when I was growing up.

We got it in 1989. It was a 25mhz 386, had a 2400kbps modem, two floppy drives for both sizes, DOS, and when I got older in jr highschool my friend and I would code X rated star trek games in BASIC. hehehe

[mrplayfuluk]

From a work point of view it was a nightmare trying to keep up with paper from letters, faxes etc. sending and receiving stuff took time, oh boy! as for the more personal stuff I guess the internet solved the sexual issues. No furtive adventures into porno stores or newsagents, no sneaking around gay bookshops finding out about what ELSE was possible in bed. I remember finding the 'joy of gay sex' and being amazed while pretending to peruse something else...
It was the internet that helped me identify as bi sexual, through chat rooms, forums, seeing gay porn and knowing what made sense to me and what didn't. Then I discovered the Klein Grid on the net and that solved it. Even venturing into cam sex with other guys opened my mind from a bi curious fellow to a bi convinced one. So long may it last and long may it be as free as it can be...

[gh05t]

It all happened around me as I was growing up.
It's been nearly 30 years since my first encounter with a computer & twenty odd years since my first email.
There was no point where the net got "turned on" for me so I can't imagine MY life without it. at all.
That said, my god I use it for doing trivial crap that doesn't really need to be done,
like er.............. this! :tongue:

[jo69guy]

Not only do I remember life before the internet, I can remember life before cell phones. lol I suppose I could go back to not having these things, but I would definately miss them. Keeping in contact with friends/family out-of-town is so much easier now!

:2cents:

[cand86]

I do remember life before the Internet! I can still remember when my dad introduced me to it, and the first thing I stumbled across- an old Cathy comic strip, go figure. Since then, I've found far more interesting subjects. :tong:

Everyone gasps and says "God, I couldn't live without my e-mail/messenger and all that", but that's actually not what I'd miss most about the Internet. (In fact, I think it'd be better if we had more face-to-face contact in our lives, more friends we've actually met . . .).

Instead, it would be the information right at the tips of my fingers! Right now, if a thought pops into my head, I'm two, three clicks away from 100,000 results to inform me on the topic. Believe me, the Internet has settled sooo many bets for me. I just don't know what I'd do if I realized I'd have to look elsewhere to get information about things. To the library? Yeah, right. I don't think I'd have any idea what to do with the card cataolgue system.

It's a godsend, we can say that!

[deletetacount123]

Cand, I so agree with you lol I'll be watching TV and look at an actress... "mmm where have I seen her before??" So the whole show Im wondering... then its over, I look up IMDB and type her name (or shows name) and get my answer lol

Same thing with other stuff, you want to know something, log on the internet and find out lol

I also think the internet is GREAT HELP when you want to do some research, especially if its topics you don't really want to look at if someone else can easily look over your shoulder (store, library....)

Have you also noticed online stores are getting more and more popluar?? hehe
- You can easily buy an item you wouldn't get in a store cause you don't want to go. (etc, sex store lol)
- Your store doesn't have what you're looking for yet you easily found it online.
- Too cold outside? Sick? Haveing a day you DONT wanna go out but you HAVE to get that present?? No problem..... shop online!! lol

The only bad thing about online shopping is trying to buy XMAS GIFTS!!!! So my suggestion is BUY IT IN NOVEMBER lol December is a nightmare to order anything online unless it promises you super shipping. lol

Ya, I love the internet... *hugs* as for cell phones, I don't care since I don't use them hehe but I LOVE my blackberry text messager :-)

Tasha

[Tynary]

I don't remember life b4 the internet. Sorry I'm sooo young. i lv the internet. I kno what u mean about going away and coming bk having to check all messages.

[Avocado]

I remember the days before it and I could live without it. It would be hard though.

[shameless agitator]

I remember life before internet, video games, cell phones etc. I actually lived for several years in the middle of the mojave desert without electricity, running water, gas or any of the modern "conveniences". There are times I really miss that life. That said, when I've wound up without internet access for any length of time I've had withdrawals. E-mail is a good thing & I enjoy forums like this, though I think I spend too much time on them. What I really wind up missing though is the ability to research any damn thing that comes into my head. I have a tendency to get obsessed with certain subjects or people & want to know everything there is to know about them. This usually lasts for a month or 2 until it gets replaced with another obsession. Of course the web is the greatest thing ever for organizing activists.

[LouiseBrookslover]

I'm 33. My first experience with a computer was playing Oregon Trail in 6th grade on an Apple II. My first experience with any type of online database was in late high school. My first experience with email and the internet was in the middle of college.

People in my generation have somewhat of an advantage, I think. We learned the old school way, but the new school way was easily moved into because we were still young when it came around. I would greatly miss the ease of communication, the empowerment of niche groups, and the ease with which you can find out any bit of trivia in about 10 seconds.

I have no idea how the under 20s would react if the internet went away. I seriously suspect they'd be pretty screwed. A part of me thinks it's a bit hilarious and absurd that my nephew's 3rd grade class uses the internet. I'm not really sold on the value of computing in the earliest grades, but I must admit that might be because of my own situation. I suspect it is often hard for people of my age group to imagine children using the internet. It's an adult toy that showed up when we were just becoming adults, oddly enough!

[canuckotter]

I got my first computer when I was... umm... 5 or 6? A Vic20. It was a ton of fun. :) I didn't get Internet access til I hit university though, in 1995. (I'm 30 years old, in case anyone's wondering.)

For me... No, I don't think I'd have any interest in going back to pre-Internet times... I take for granted the ability to find virtually any knowledge the second I want it. I'm always looking stuff up for work... There's no way I could do my job without constant Internet access.

Of course, my job involves writing software that deals with email, so without the Internet I wouldn't have a job in the first place, so I guess it wouldn't matter too much. :tong:

[ambi53mm]

I recall life before the internet having spent the majority of my life in a pre-internet world. The first computer I recall seeing was bigger than the house I currently live in. I see the positive contributions that have come via the net. I only wish cultural attitudes moved as quicky as the technolgy.Going back is not an option I'd choose.. but with the technology we possess, even a return to the "Stone Age" is not out of the realm of possibilities.

Ambi :compuser: :)

[Herbwoman39]

I remember life before the internet. I remember when PONG came out. We got an Atari system with the two little round knobs on a big mock-wood console and spent HOURS playing that thing. I still remember the "bloop BLOOP" sound the "ball" made bouncing off the walls and rackets.

I remember when MTV first started airing. I remember when HBO first came out. I remember the first time I saw a DVD player. My friend asked if it was an 8-track player :bigrin:

I remember when Walkman was all the rage; iPod's older brother. I remember vinyl albums and 8 tracks; how we used to listen to music BEFORE CDs.

I remember being 2 years old, my Mother brings me downstairs, sits me in fromt of the TV and tells me to remember this as Neil Armstrong sets foot ron the Moon for the very first time.

Look what we've done in the last 40 years.

Imagine what we'll do in the NEXT 40.

As for your question Tasha, I take my laptop WITH me on vacation and find WiFi Hotspots to log in at! LOL! I'm NOT going back to life before the internet. It's my school, library and playplace all in one ;)

[Long Duck Dong]

lol I grew up with a black and white tv, no dvd's, no videos, no arcade games, no computers and I am 36 lol

I can happily live without computers, tv, radio, microwaves etc......i don't need them in my life, but i accept that others around me can't live without them

outside of my computer is a real world, with friends and family and people to talk to... its nice to have a face to face chat and hug...lol.... we share the warmth and love that you can't put in a email, or a letter lol

I said to a friend once that if the world lost all electric power, the net and all electronic funds transfers for ever....the world as we know it would end.... as people wouldn't know how to survive without the microwave and dishwasher, lol
and we would see the highest suicide rate ever as many people are forced to realise that without their computers and ipods and PDA's, they have to run their own lives again and most people would struggle with that

sadly a year ago in new zealand, that was proven.....auckland, a city of 1 million +, had its main business area without power for 6 weeks.... many generators were called in to provide power until the main lines were repaired and power was restored......the local counsellors and therapists were flooded with people that were not able to cope without access to their office computers, files and records, cellphones etc.......and the greatest issue for the people, was finding a open resturant....they were so used to going to resturants, that they were not able to cook a simple meal of eggs and toast..... its a sad world when we become that dependant on modern techology

[Nara_lovely]

NO INTERNET, NO COMPUTERS?????? *passes out*

So no, I don't think I could go back to the dark ages!

But I do know how important it is to get out and around people.

[deletetacount123]

Nara, Funny comic lol :-)

Must.... have...... comp.....comp...... *eyes widen and hearts beats fast*.... Oh, whats that?? *looks out the window* mmmmm me gonna go outside and PLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Runs outside*

But Ya!! While Computers are so much fun and you can have millions of friends and info together online, its still important to remember THERES A REAL WORLD.... Look outside the window!! :-)

Tasha

[wanderingrichard]

uuuhh, yeah i do. but, i never lost the art of letter writing or phone calls on the weekends, and i even kno how to use a public library when i can find one. even have a old maual typewriter too.

of course finding a virtual home like this one would never happen, and i'd really have a hard time coming back out of my self imposed shell like i have. also, finding resources like support groups and stuff concerning bisexuality would be a cast iron bitch.

btw,anybody here ex military [ US] and remember the "twixes" we used to get in the army in the 70's? ever look at one and think, " how'd they do that?" guess what? they were an early form of email. that's how we got our promotion orders and other personnel actions from DA to those of us overseas so magically.

have had to give up web/internet access several times since going online in the 80's. [ remeber 'sneaker net', hours rolling your own programs on floppies, then having to find or buying a modem capable, phoneline for the house etc? ever use "gopher"?] mostly because of remote locations or underfunding of personal finances.

feels funny the first next time you sit back down behind a monitor and start tickling the keyboard again, doesnt it?

[shameless agitator]

lol I grew up with a black and white tv, no dvd's, no videos, no arcade games, no computers and I am 36 lol

I can happily live without computers, tv, radio, microwaves etc......i don't need them in my life, but i accept that others around me can't live without them

outside of my computer is a real world, with friends and family and people to talk to... its nice to have a face to face chat and hug...lol.... we share the warmth and love that you can't put in a email, or a letter lol

I said to a friend once that if the world lost all electric power, the net and all electronic funds transfers for ever....the world as we know it would end.... as people wouldn't know how to survive without the microwave and dishwasher, lol
and we would see the highest suicide rate ever as many people are forced to realise that without their computers and ipods and PDA's, they have to run their own lives again and most people would struggle with that

sadly a year ago in new zealand, that was proven.....auckland, a city of 1 million +, had its main business area without power for 6 weeks.... many generators were called in to provide power until the main lines were repaired and power was restored......the local counsellors and therapists were flooded with people that were not able to cope without access to their office computers, files and records, cellphones etc.......and the greatest issue for the people, was finding a open resturant....they were so used to going to resturants, that they were not able to cook a simple meal of eggs and toast..... its a sad world when we become that dependant on modern techologyWell, now hold up. If my power went out I wouldn't be able to feed myself very well iether. Not because I can't cook (I'm actually a decent chef) but because I have an electric stove.

[smokey]

Actually I think the BIG question is does Tasha remember life before the internet. :bigrin:

I got online in late 96 and have gone several times since without it and it is no problem. I am am such a bookworm and self-reliant that I can live without things like cell-phones (still refuse to own one) and computers though they do make like easier...I think they tend to make us dumber.

[deletetacount123]

Actually I think the BIG question is does Tasha remember life before the internet. :bigrin:

I got online in late 96 and have gone several times since without it and it is no problem. I am am such a bookworm and self-reliant that I can live without things like cell-phones (still refuse to own one) and computers though they do make like easier...I think they tend to make us dumber.

Yes I do.... I used to read books all day long before the internet :-)
I remember the authors too.. since I was about 15/16 in 1995, before then till I got online
I read:
-Fear Street by RL Stine
-Sweet Valley High
-The Babysister's Club
-Christopher Pike
-Lurlene McDaniel
-Caroline B Cooney
-John Saul
-Mary Higgins Clark (not all of her books)
......... and LOTS more...... my parents had to build me a wall to wall bookshelf in my room just for my books!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So yes I remember what life was like before the internet. And I still read John Saul . :-)

You're talking to a BIG bookworm gal.... lol


Tasha