Personal Blather!

I've slowed down my blogging recently... I thought it might be good not to post too many back to back since those who don't visit all that frequently might just have to read quite a couple of posts back if I did... Furthermore, there hasn't really been all that much interesting happening lately... at least none that I can recall...

The internet is a very interesting place... it's a huge library that let's you find just about ANYTHING you want... virtual or otherwise. There are no rules governing the internet, at least none that extend beyond certain limits, making it thrive solely on the principles of it's users. Morality and ethics are still existantial although minimal IMHO. That is expected since users are still governed by the existing laws in real life. Anarchy isn't quite the way to define the internet, but it's probably the one place which comes pretty close.

The internet isn't the safest of places. We have to look out for malicious software, viruses, worms and trojans, illegal or unwarranted infiltration of systems, illegal data corruption, cyber-attacks such as ddos attacks... the list is endless, and this doesn't even cover other moral and ethical issues like pornography, phreaking, information on how to cause trouble (think bomb making) in real life... even on the personal level, flaming, spam and other form of virtual abuse although causing minimal effect has escalated on numerous occasions into stabbings and other physical manifestations of that anger. Believe me, it isn't the safest place to leave a child.

Of course, there ARE benefits. A digital mega-library with all the information ANYONE could ever need is certainly not unwelcome. Need help for a cookie recipe? How about statistical data of the population of an African country? Need meteorological data? Help with homework? Fictional works to entertain? Need diagrams and pictures for clearer understanding? I have no doubt that you can actually find them on the internet, if you knew where to look. I believe I've mentioned before that when in doubt, your best friend is still Google™. This is the single most effective resource for information available in the world. Add the fact that we have video streaming, e-banking, video conferencing, internet telephone, online shopping and e-mails, we have an all in one package for companies and home users to conveniently utilise.

So what's the whole point? The internet is neutral, much like a car. You can use it for the purpose it was intended for, which is to disseminate information, but if is often abused by certain parties and the result is the internet we have now. Personally, I kind of like it. To be dead honest, if the internet was governed much like the real world, it would most certainly lose a lot of appeal. Things like free software (open source for example) and freedom of speech are rare enough as it is... and if the internet loses these characteristics, I may not be as keen to go virtual. I'm already pretty inhibited physically, having to mind my speech and speak only that which is 'politically correct and acceptable'... not that i'm an advocate for conflict, but sometimes I just have certain dissatisfactions which due to my hot-headedness needs to find an outlet. Not to mention NOTHING is free in the physical... not even food... so of course it'd be cool to have free software... (I personally like sourceforge... they host a lot of good open source software).

I like the internet now... it plays a pretty big part of my life... although that doesn't mean I neglect the physical world. I still hang out with friends and do sports occasionally, but I love it when I come back, face my computer and watch that latest episode of Mai Otome for example... that's something to look forward to each week. I enjoy surfing, blogging, chatting, watching videos on YouTube... especially between breaks when I'm watching webcasts or doing my tutorials or online assessments. My life revolves a lot around the internet... it may change in the future but I still think it's one of the coolest things that mankind ever invented.