AppleCORE Archive

An Online State of Mind

Microsoft's latest advertising slogan -- "Where do you want to go today?" -- is as much a promo for the Internet and all its charms (albeit, Microsoft's interpretation of it), as it is a showcase for Microsoft's own products. The Microsoft ads show how entrenched our society has become in the Internet way of life. What every publication under the sun once dubbed the information highway, isn't used simply for information anymore.

It's both comical and amazing to see how much the Internet has worked its way into my own daily tradition, despite my somewhat humble online beginnings. Considering my profession and hobbies, there isn't much choice in the matter. By day, I am a mild mannered Mac systems and database administrator, spending up to a quarter of the work day trolling Mac news sites for the latest tips and advice on all things Macintosh, as well as other vendors' sites (Oracle, Claris, Apple, Microsoft) for updates and information. And at night, I turn into a crack writing hack for Webintosh, writing the occasional software review, and cranking out a weekly column for the coolest Mac news site on the planet (pardon my bias).

Much like the attitudes people held at the start of the personal computing revolution, folks either can't wait to get their hooks into the Internet, or could care less. I guess I'm a certifiable computer geek (But then I've always lived on the fringe -- in high school I was a marching "band buddy.") My wife, despite her best intentions to visit some of her favorite Internet sites each week, frequently cannot since she's busy each day with our young children. My brother, who lives three states away, and I communicate more cheaply and efficiently through e-mail than we do over the phone (and always with a healthy dose of Mac evangelism thrown in for good measure, since he's a Wintel user). It's the same with several friends from college -- we rarely talk on the phone, but now trade e-mail perhaps once or twice a month.

And then, the other end of the spectrum -- my sister and mother wouldn't mind if they never set foot in cyberspace, let alone owned a computer. In fact, my mom warns me on a regular basis to be careful of "that damn Internet" since people can find out "all kinds of things about you, without your knowing it." But I know my father -- one of the first men in our neighborhood to own a VCR -- would "think different." Were he alive today, I know I could easily talk him into buying a used PowerBook or a Mac SE/30 and a modem....

Three years ago, my wife and I purchased our first Mac for home, a Performa 475. At that time, even we were reluctant to join America Online (which had a mere 400,000 members at that point), where we were required to -- gasp! -- dial into their registration server and share our credit card information. We took the dive, though, and got our feet wet as AOL introduced pieces of the Internet to its members in dribs and drabs -- newsgroups, then gopher and archie services, and then finally, the Web. (We've since graduated to an ISP dial-up connection.)

The Internet has changed the way we live and think; it's changed the way we socialize, shop, read, gamble... you name it. Regularly, I turn to the Web as an invaluable tool for researching a seemingly depthless repository of information, however, more recently I've also purchased books, CDs, software and even sheet music online. Car manufacturers, toothpaste companies, and restaurant chains alike splash their Web addresses across the television screen. The effect is nearly insidious.

Even that sacred ritual, the morning routine, has changed for me: I used to stumble out of bed, struggle to get ready in time to catch the Metrobus and Metrorail into Washington, D.C., make a quick detour to Starbuck's for the Decaf of the Day, and McDonald's for an Egg McMuffin, bolt into CVS for a copy of the Washington Post, and then hightail it to work with minutes to spare on the time clock.

Now, I stumble out of bed, struggle to get ready in time to catch the Metrobus and Metrorail into Washington, D.C., make a quick detour to Starbuck's for the Decaf of the Day, and McDonald's for an Egg McMuffin, bolt into CVS for a copy of the Washington Post, and then hightail it to work with minutes to spare on the time clock.

See what I mean?