How would your life be different without the Internet?
(PHOTO CREDIT: Justin Sullivan/GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Happy Birthday to the Internet.
The system that has revolutionized almost every part of our lives turned 40 years old this week. October 29, 1969 was the first time people sent a computer-to-computer message. It was in California that UCLA Professor Leonard Kleinrock successfully connected the school's host computer to one at Stanford University.
The project had started a few years earlier: After Russia successfully launched Sputnik in the late 1950s, U.S. leaders stepped up funding to enter a technology race with their Cold War rival.
Fast forward 40 years - and It's pretty hard to imagine society without everything we're used to about the Internet:
E-mail, online shopping, video games, Google, bloggers, YouTube, and more recently social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. The list goes on and on...
Of course there's also a dark side to the Internet - computer worms, viruses, the annoying e-mail spam, identity theft, online scams and fraud, child predators and pornography - not to mention the fact that the word privacy may never have the same meaning again.
At a 40th birthday party for the Internet, Kleinrock - who sent that first message - talked how it's a "democratizing element" and that everyone can have an equal voice. But he also says there's no way back at this point, and that "we can't turn it off."
Kleinrock says in the future, the Internet will be "present everywhere."
Kinda feels like it already is.
Here’s my question to you: How would your life be different without the Internet?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Jasmine in Germany writes:
I'd have to go to bookstores and libraries more, my telephone bill would be a lot higher than it is, plus I'd be standing in line at the post office more. Internet access is a life improvement. I also get to talk to you, Jack. Of course you don't talk back, but that's a quality all good men should have.
Ramon writes:
I would be writing letters by hand, talking with my neighbors, and spending more time outside playing with my kids. I would still be subscribed to a newspaper and reading the funnies lying on my couch. The world would look much bigger and I would probably travel more.
Matthew from Spokane, Washington writes:
If it were not for the internet then I would still be living in Austin, Texas rather than Spokane because my parents met in an online chat room back in the days of AOL 2.0.
Michael writes:
I would be skinnier.
Patrick writes:
I wouldn't be making $50K a year working out of my 2 bedroom apartment making leather fetish products!
Rory from San Bernardino, California writes:
Jack, Well for one thing I wouldn't be sending you this message. And I would be blissfully ignorant of the "Piano Playing Cat" on YouTube.
Terry from Bark River, Michigan writes:
I wouldn't waste so much time sending you my wit that you never post.
Buster from New York writes:
Nice costume, Jack. Are you supposed to be an angry, old white guy? I like it! Anyway, Super Old Dude, if I didn't have the Internet, how could I find YouTube videos of you when you used to have 80s power hair, before your forehead rose out of your follicle-challenged scalp like the planet Saturn?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
I would miss my personal enslavement to a cantankerous, obstinate, and uncooperative computing machine, not to mention the Cafferty File of course. Did I mention that I’m a masochist?
Your questions. No one else seems to have the guts to ask hard questions any more.
I would miss my correspondence with friends in Europe and the US. I would miss my youtube videos of Ron Paul preaching about our liberties. I would miss the opportunity to heap scorn on morally-corrupt politicians. Besides, I'm sure my use of the Internet is helping to create global warming, and will probably need to be curtailed by jack-booted Democrats...
I would miss not being able to pay bills online, online shopping,(where you can find almost anything your looking for), and being able to keep up with the news. But, truthfully I think the world was better off before the internet. Parents spent more time with their children and vice versa, and people didn`t sit at home isolated so much. Plus the fact that porn is everywhere on the internet. I think the internet has really crushed the values of Americans.
What would I miss if I did not have the Internet? You, Jack!!!!
Jack,
What if e-mail was invented before the telephone? I could contact you, and say ... "We don't have to write to each other anymore ... we can actually talk." American families need more talk and less text.
Rick, OH
What would you miss most if you didn't have the Internet?
Freedom of Information.
Jenna
Roseville CA
Jack: I miss the internet's ability to communicate with loved ones. I would miss the instant knowledge of Google, and the networks like CNN, and so...... But I would miss spending at least 30 to 40 minutes a day answering your questions, Jack. I guess I would miss being bored my the questions......
Hello Jack
Why I would miss you ranting about the Govt & Sarah Palin. And not be able to communicate with you other than yelling at the TV.
The Internets is great, but not sure if Al Gore should get credit LOL
being retierd i,d have to listen to my wife all-day
I would be upset for my Blackberry which I affectionately call my Crackberry. Without the internet my little Crackberry would be relegated to the role of a one dimensional communication device, a cell phone! Spare the thought.
l would miss talking to you(jack) and reading the answers that you receive to your questions.
I think I would miss the most if i did have the internet. Online banking, watching show that I miss while I am at work. Checkinh my work e-mail at home so I am not suprized when I get to work. Then Facebook and twitter because i have linked cnn and other news outlet throught them. Yes I am news junkie. I think I would have some major withdrawls.
I would endure my wife's talking about...whatever she talks about.
Well I wouldn't be posting Comments on your website on my break.
I would miss doing my bills online the most..and of course myspace , and printing out stuff for my kids. I read the news more than i watch it on tv. So without the internet i would be lost! I'm not much of a tv person. I can go without the internet for a couple days but then i start wondering what emails i have and whats the news saying today that i can complain bout! So with that being said I would def. go crazy! I couldn't do it not even for a million dollars!
My first instinct is to say that I'd miss the instant access to news. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that the "instant" part has done more harm than good.
So I'll go with Scandinavian death metal. Oddly enough, the music stores in Syracuse don't have a wide selection.
well things would be a lot slower. Lets face it like it or not the net has made things easier & faster
I would miss you terribly, Jack, but most of all I would miss my email. You and email often provide me a much needed laugh.
Yes, because I am still employed. If I did not constantly use a computer preparing a defense counsel ready for capital murder cases, the Internet probably would not be an important part of my life. I pay bills by Internet. I watch my VISA and my bank accounts by Internet. I hope it won't be a big factor when I retire again.
A lot simpler, less complicated and I'd have more time because I wouldn't be sitting here answering these questions. LOL
I would be much less distracted and much more productive!
Steve,
Laguna Niguel, CA
Short and sweet answer, No internet= no life!
Jack , My life would not be too different. I grew up in a time when
it wasn't necessary for everyone to know everybody else's business. Also I would not see and hear so much twisted, distorted , deceptive and out right false information . Stuff that is fueling the divisiveness in our society.
Not sure, Jack. I'll have to google this, look it up in Wikipedia, do a facebook survey, send out a tweet, check floort to see what people are saying and then get back to you after my ebay auctions end.
I would be totally lost and in deep withdrawal without it. When computers first were made affordable along with access to the Internet. I was scared and thought I was too old to learn how to use a computer and maneuver around the Internet. Eventually seeing how much information you could find out on any subject with a click of the mouse I became interested and wanted a computer. Now it has become part of my life. I would be lost without it just like my TV and microwave oven. In fact if I had to choose one out of the three, I would choose my computer and the Internet. I cannot afford to go around the world but now I can visit any place I want to on the Internet at any time, day or night.
Some parts of my job would be much harder, requiring hard copy letters and phone calls and the reading of Commerce Business Daily in hardcopy rather than FedBizOpps online. Also, all of the proposals I submit would be by hardcopy rather than by e-mail. It would also be much more difficult to carry on debates online on tax reform and on whatever topic you propose, Jack. Indeed, without the Internet, you would have no job.
We wouldn't be able to voice or opinion to you Jack.
We wouldn't be able to watch you read our Comments.
We wouldn't be able to Tweet Rick Sanchez
Most of all, We would not be able to laugh at all the Wing-nut comments you Read.
without my online brokerage account, I would still be paying outragous fees to a so called "full service" broker.
without online news organizations lke Cnn.com, I would not have timely news.
and without E-mail, I would still be using long distance telephone or "snail mail" to communicate with friends, family or for business.
It would mean that I would have $31.00 more each month to spend on something else, and more time to do that I really like to do instead of wasting my time on the internet. Thanks for asking, now I'll just log on, and see if you read my answer.
I might see an ad in the paper that doesn't specify "computer experience only" when looking for a job. Seems that is their major requirement.
don't even ask that question jack it is a useful tool for us to shop, make trip reservations and find things online it is aswome to make a reservation for a hotel or get tickets without waiting in line or driving there and wing the trip hoping you get a hotel for a major event good luck without the planning we have access to by internet makes our lives so much easier
Jack–
The Internet allows me to be in touch with the wider world whenever I want to. At the same time, it also allows me instant communication with family and friends. I can't imagine life without it any more.
Jack, you could ask the same question about electricity, the car, the cell phone or any invention during the time of man. The answer is I would have gotten by just fine because I would have found other means to get information I need.
I would have a lot less time! I remember having to open the Yellow Pages to look up services; or go through the newspaper for sales and ads! Or calling people having to make conversation...... where now I send a quick email..... and viola...... I have my answer!
God bless the Internet!
I wouldn't have information at my fingertips, the ability to blog to people like you, and to keep in touch with (or find) people I've lost along life's way, Jack.
Without the internet I might be as uninformed as those tea-bags who showed up at town hall meetings to complain about a non-existent health care bill which they knew nothing about. I can cross check any misinformation given out by media windbags serving as propaganda mills. Being able to get various opinions from all areas of the media and being able to fact check them makes coping with todays' world much easier and with much less stress.
I wouldn't be posting my opinions on your blog for one thing.
I'd spend a lot less time on my bum, a lot more time on the phone, wouldn't be able to insert my opinion on CNN's news reporting, and know a lot less random facts thanks to wikipedia.
John McCain would be President, Sarah Palin Vice-President and there would be no Cafferty File...
OMG!! My house would be spotless and my behind would be much smaller.
Jack,
I live in a very rural area on the Big Island of Hawaii. Without the internet, I would never have moved here. I am able to purchase things like nice clothes, sambal sauce from Indonesia, and your book from Amazon. If the internet were not around, I'd still be in some podunk town like Modesto, California buying things via catalog.
I'd miss your thought provoking segments, Jack!
Thats kind of like asking how my life would be without a telephone or microwave. I could get along fine and would have more money if they did not exist.. None of these things are free. Convienient yes but not free.
My job would be twice as hard as it is. I would not keep in touch with family as often as I now do. And I discovered a relative I had never communicated with before. The net has opened up the world.
We wouldn't be able to talk back to you Jack!
Jack, I believe Kleinrock is correct. There is no way we can turn it off now. I retired in 2008, and it took me only 1 month to realize that I could not effectively function without internet access. You can try to conduct business over the phone, but it is tremendously inefficent and frustrating. Want to deal with Social Security or any government agency, the phone is virtually useless. If you pay bills by mail you spend twice the amount of money for stamps that you would for a monthly fee for the internet, and paying bills is quick, easy, and sometimes automatic. Information on any subject you can think of, it's there, right now. Instant communications with family/friends, it's there.
I'd be alot more ignorant.
Well, my long distance phone bill would go up and my internet bill would go down, my job would be more secure, I'd lose access to alot of useful and useless information, I'd likely read more and watch more tv and I'd have to submit you actual written letters, Jack. I might also get out of the house more often and interact with actual human beings. It'd be hard at first, but I think I'd adjust alright in time and it'd be better for me in the long run.
I would probably be thinner, dumber, and have to do more chores around the house.
All kidding aside, even with the negative aspects, the Internet is all the worlds libraries at your fingertips.
If you are a knowledge seeker you couldn't ask for better.
My life without the Internet would be so peaceful and so unhectic. I really would like kleinrock to invent a way to get rid of this thing.
much better...jack...lot of id thefts, lot of computer viruses....all bogus...i bought a computer in 2007 it crashed, again, i brought in 2008, it crashed...it reflects how poor consumer confidence, customer satisfaction....it is our karma...thats it...
How would my life be different without the internet: well for one, I would be buying myself a daily newspaper.
My life would go back to the way it was when I was back in high school awwww the click of the typewriter keys hitting the crisp white typing paper Now that music to my ears Jack
I would lose my mind without the internet. I depend on it for my news, my research, my communications, just about everything. I love it, and I'm addicted to it, but I don't waste my time on stupid games or "entertainment". It 's a tool, and I use it that way.
I think the world-wide web is keeping America Great!!! I say, Happy B-Day to the internet!!!
john ca.
Well gee Jack with out the internet I could not vent to you Wolf my susposed Leaders in the Senate and house .As well as the White House .
Ronald Holst
San Antonio TX
First, I would not waste my time answering the questions in your Blog... (Just kidding) I love it.
I'd have to have a lot more cookbooks than I already do, cause I look up recipes all the time. Also a new dictionary and world maps. I'd spend a lot more time at the library. I wouldn't stay in touch with friends as often. And, of course, I wouldn't have the opportunity to spend nearly every afternoon with you, Jack!
Jack, I'd have a lot more time to do other things but I'd be a lot less informed. It is somewhat addictive, no doubt.
Tama. IA
I would be classed as a computer DUMMY. And how do I use the
internet? I prefer email to phone conversations. I discovered CNN
during the exciting election years. During 2008 I received some
really hateful, nasty emails regarding Pres. Elect Obama. Very
upsetting – started checking the web and discovered CNN – and
your blogs Jack. The replies you received made me feel much
better. It was nice to know so many people felt as I did and do
about Pres. Obama. Nothing else interests me – though I do use
Google for research.
I use the internet to "filter-out" the news propaganda from network & cable news, and radio. The internet is a major source of "un-spun" news. Case in point: "Without the internet I most likely would have gotten the swine flu shot."
Hi Jack:
Upside I would not have to worry about security etc. , and I might receive a hand written note in the mail. Certainly there would be cost savings on ink and paper, and less frustration as at times I want to toss the computer.
Downside: There would not be the jokes, a more convenient means of keeping in touch, reviewing the checking account to see if I have reached any status other than upper poverty.
Truly it is a double edged sword, and we are ok if we just don't fall on it. Judie/El Lago
As a physically disabled person, I would have very little touch w/outside world...although I do know you can't believe everything you see or read or hear on the net. I may be physically disabled but I still count on being a discerning global participant and don't use the net as my only source of information.
Although you and CNN are high on my list.
Maria
Brunswick,MD
I would have less day-to-day information about and control over my finances, health, entertainment, and myriad other areas of life.
It would take you far longer to reject my comments, Jack, if I had to mail them.
Denis
Upper Saint Clair, Pa.
I use the internet to look up new recipies when I want to do something different and special for my family or a special occasion.
I use the internet to read the news from time to time and comment on CNN or ABC news and sometimes CBS news.
And sometimes, yes sometimes, I use the internet to play a game or two on line.
But as fun and entertaining and helpful as it is, logging on the internet is not something I do all day long.
And since I am a mom, house wife, and grandmother, I still sweep and mop, do laundry, cook, wash dishes, clean bathrooms, make beds, do gardening, and go shopping. And I do love shopping more than the internet even when it's only for groceries.
I wouldnt know all the lies and deceit that is going on in the government so fast!
I think I'd be fine for a little while, eventually I'd get bored just watching TV instead. But, what would your life be like without the internet, Jack? You'd be out of a job. Lets hope that stimulus bill works out.
There would have been something else that my Granddaughter can do better than me, that's just the nature of progress in this world!
Decidedly worse. The internet saves me time, saves me money, and saves my sanity by allowing me to get at more information than i have ever had before. i feel like i am a more informed citizen with the internet. Finally, I have been able to meet like-minded indivduals across a number of my interests. This has to be the greatest invention since the printing press.
What a Evil Question Jack!
The greatest curse against the ignorance taught by Christianity and Islam is the Internet. Beyond governmental attempts to evade, lie and obfuscate the truth, the Internet provides content, and historical facts which are often denied by Governmental Censorship.
A. Smith
Oregon
Jack - How would I be able to answer your questions without the Internet? Gasp! No, no, no!!
Joe in Delray Beach, FL
Without the internet, I would have to write letters, which I do not like to do. The instant communication is helpful when put to good purposes, but harmful when misused. A real double edged sword. EH?
I would have more time to read a complete book!!!
Happy Halloween weekend to the best team!...maybe you can disguise yourself as a healthcare bill...all 2000 white pages!
Take care!
Boo!
Well Jack I wouldn't be answering this question, I would have to go to more stores, I would have to balance my checkbook, and, among many other things, I would still read a newspaper. Things would be simpler in my life. I wouldn't feel like a complete idiot around 5 year olds using a computer. And, lastly, my 20 year old truck would need to be fed evermore expensive gas so I can go out and do things I do on the computer now. Happy Halloween to all. I will stay home and pass out candy and scare little kids, 'cause I will not be wearing a mask.
I think I could live without the e-mail, the IM, the Facebook, I really think I could. However, I'm a high school science teacher – my entire job boils down to using effective idea theft to convey my knowledge. I use the web almost every night to review topics and develop content relation strategies to match my class... and I think I'd be up a creek and drowning without that resource. What is already a very difficult job would be an entirely different league.
No talking with you, Jack for starters. Couldn't deal with that. However, I would not have the means of expressing and sharing my opinions on the great many critical issues facing America and the world without it. We can reach so many more with the internet than any other vessel to date. It presents America's and American's views much more clearly and accurately than ever before with a greater insight to real feelings, truths, and beliefs. It is an eye opener to say the least.
Thom Richer
Negaunee, MI
it really would not be different. i would need to use the phone and actually "speak" with people more than i do now, maybe write more letters and cards, and i would have to use a phone book, zagats and time out NY to find restaurants. no big deal actually.
I would go nuts Jack, My wife lives in the Philippines and we communicate "Everyday" through the internet. Without the internet, me and my wife would go crazy.
I wouldn't waste so much time sending you my wit that you never post.
Terry DeLoughary
Bark River, Michigan
I don't have it at home and it sucks! I'm bored. The Internet is like my library, my source of entertainment, my memeries. But I'm sure I'll live. Just not as grand. Hey if we never known a car well we just do things the old fashion way. Use are legs or that of a horse.
Jack, I wouldn't be able to bother you with my idiotic comments to your thought-provoking questions. Layne A. Antioch, Il.
I guess I'd still be watching soaps and cooking a decent meal every night
I'd have to go to bookstores and libraries more, my telephone bill would be a lot higher than it is, plus I'd be standing in line at the post office more. Internet access is a life improvement. I also get to talk to you, Jack. Of course you don't talk back, but that's a quality all good men should have.
Because the internet is such a great tool: news, weather, blogs, shopping, blogs, search engines, blogs, etc., it is difficult to imagine growing old without it. On the other hand, I still enjoy working part time, reading, woodwork, TV news, and my wife and cat. Other than lacking a venue to unload my frustrations over politics, the economy, and society in general, I could get along fine without the internet.
Interesting! We just discussed this in a Master's class last nite, but more about technology in the classroom...Think of it this way, if you like to read a book in bed, would you rather it be on a lap top? The internet is working on eliminating libraries and that's a shame.
Jack!
Well for one thing I wouldn't be sending you this message. And I would be blissfully ignorant of the "Piano Playing Cat" on youtube.
Rory Murray
San Bernardino, CA
I wouldn't be writing into you, Jack.
I Would Be Skinnier.
I would have been in shape, rather then overweight on the computer.
I wouldn't be able to leave witty comments like this to you on your blog, Jack!
Without the Internet, I would still be cutting my tongue while licking envelopes to mail bills, text messages, emails and responding to your hourly questions hehehe. Without the Internet I would know very little about Sarah Palin. That would be nice.
What? No Internet? What would I do all day?
Sara
Southold, NY
Kleinrock? Kleinrock WHO? and I though all along Al Gore invented the internet.
my life without the internet would be awful. I cannot live without the internet.
We would probably be more productive at work instead of taking time out to go on facebook or Twitter we might get some more work done
Jack I don;t I would have a life without it . I don't visit chat rooms, but I do surf at times. I'ts just amazing the things you can find on the internet. I'm retired and I'm on my computer at least 4 or 5 hours a day. It seems like it calls me in the morning when I wake up. So after breakfast , I go and sign on and play games get my email and email back. I love it.
My life would be 100% different. I met my wife on the Internet 17 years ago. Before there was a web browser and AOL. In a simple chat room on IRC, all text based, I met the woman I would marry 5 years later and now raise our 2 children.
Without the internet, who is to say I would have every found her, even though we did attend the same college we were in two very different education programs and opposite sides of the campus. We have often debated if we would have ever found each other. We think we would have, but without a time machine we will never know.
If it were not for the internet then I would still be living in Austin, Tx rather than Spokane, Wa because my parents met in an online chat room back in the days of AOL 2.0.
I'd be sorting carrots at Safeway instead of retired at 55.
I would be spending most of my time, and alot of my money, flying from one city to another providing my clients with technical support. Now I do all my support work from the comfort of my den, while watching CNN.
The internet is a triumph of capitalism and what happens and can happen when the government gets the hell out of the way.
How would life be without the internet? Not sure, but I'll have to give you a call when I figure it out.
Without the internet, maybe I would have a chance in hell of finding a job as a newspaper journalist. Four years of college down the drain.
It would be a lot more boring
When I was growing up in the 1970s, I used to skip school a lot. I'd spend all day reading at the public library. I remember wishing I could live at the library, or better, have the library in my home. The Internet made my wish come true. Without it, I'd have to live at the library.
I wouldn't be living in fear that a youthful indiscretion with pot that resulted in an arrest and conviction will turn up in google when a potential employer searches on me. Public records and google are not a good a mix. But hey, that's progress.
I would be writing letters by hand, talking with my neighbors, and spending more time outside playing with my kids. I would still be subscribed to a newspaper and reading the funnies lying on my couch. The world would look much bigger and I would probably travel more.
Although I've never used Twitter or Facebook, I'm still an internet nerd. I have no idea what I'd do without the internet, I've even mostly stopped watching TV. Well, besides CNN.
I wouldn't know about how 9/11 was by design and the perps are still free; I wouldn't know how terrible the new vaccines are; I wouldn't know about the new physics proposed by David Wilcock, and I wouldn't know about any of the whistle blowers or their history – and things like the Aerospace Command space fleet we have, or our bases on Mars- if not for projectcamelot.org. The list goes on...
Well Jack,
for ne thing my sister wouldn't be upset with me fr she would never have seen that picture of me on Facebook at Fenway Park and ask why I didn't check in on her when I was in Boston!
Bobby
Stockton, CA
I'd be reading great literature rather than ALOL AMF.
Palm Desert, CA
Jack it would be like not having sex any more I would have to do more yard work.
Bill pay, almost all my bill paying is now done online. Shopping it is a great way to find the lowest price on big ticket items.
Jack, I am a 26 year old teacher and I have gone for the past 2 years without the internet, finally purchasing it in the spring. I was brought up in the school of "play outside" and "read" opposed to becoming a "deer in the computer screen lights". In an area where the power regularily goes out, I can sit with a candle and read a book or build a model, while some of those younger or twice my age act like it's the end of the world. I have always been weary of technology and will remain such, though it has it's admirable points. It's sad to see the new 'idiot box' has become the computer and carpal tunnel will be the next generation's biggest problem.
I would have to rely on the news only! It will be the ICE AGE all over again...
I'd be out in my garden more doing interesting things like pulling weeds which is NOT being done because of addictive Facebook on the internet.
Georgia
I get to send messages that never get read.
I guess it hasn't changed my life much, after all.
Jack:
I agree with Richard's comment, except that the very question is really irrelevant. The query is not what would life be without the Internet, it is what do we want life to be with the Internet. How do we use it to better our lives? How do we filter out the garbage to make it more informative and less vitriolic? How we use it to further a global social fabric that will allow us to resolve our differences in a more peaceful manner? The Internet is here, and while it will continue to morph it will never go away. So why waste precious time worrying about that?
Ken
For one, I wouldn't have a full idea about the health care bill in the US and all the debate that's going on about it. I use the Internet for many reasons, but mainly for reading news and finding information. When a question suddenly pops into my head, I just Google it down and there's my answer. To put it simply, life without the Internet would be a life full of unanswered questions. Never mind going to an outdated library.
Jack, no internet means no youtube. If that ever happens I will probably have to spend a few months in rehab to get proper medical care while I go through vicious withdrawal symptoms of not being able to look at old segments of the "Cafferty File". Those segments you did on former Gov. Palin are PRICELESS......Keep up the great work Jack!!!!!!
Dear Jack,
I am studying Anthropology as a graduate student right now. Simply put, I would not be able to study the way that I do. With online access to thousands of journal articles and library catalogs from all over the country, I can become a more effective, better informed scholar. I think that the next generation of University professors will be a very different breed from the previous generation. We will be able to study more in depth, involve average people in our research, and have access to more information that works into our own work. I don't think that any field of study will ever be the same.
Internet, derived from two words, 'International Network' has revolutionized our lives beyond anyone's imagination. No aspect of life is untouched. It has brought people closer, helped businesses, people to communicate with each other, like never before. Email is just one such example. Its a marvel of technology.
The world has been brought closer together by the internat, and communications travel at the speed of light. Its not without its negative side effects. Pornography, hate messages and other social evils are being propogated by hate mongers. Terrorists are using it to serve their own ends.
But overall, its impact on society has exceeded anyone's imagination. The growth in internet communications and computers is atrillion dollar industry that employs millions of people worldwide.
Hey Jack,
it is not a smart move to ask this question because without the internet, your blog would have not existed. Perhaps you would have had a much better job. All kidding aside, the interneet has dramatically revolutionized the world word. we wouldn't be here without it.
As an musician I might have had a chance to get someone to pay money for my albums. Thanks to the internet I still pay a fortune to make records, but now no one wants to pay for them. I have to give full MP3 albums away for free online and hope people will come to my concerts AND purchase t-shirts if I want a paycheck.
I would probably be 30 lbs. lighter and not able to participate in this question.
Jack: Howdy from Reno.
Just try logging off for a day. You'll find yourself drooling and standing in a corner. We (I) depend on my internet connections WAY TOO MUCH !! However, without it I would speak face-to-face with others more frequently and get a bunch more sunshine and fresh air. That doesn't sound too bad.
Alan
Reno, NV
It would be hard, because mostly all jobs require you to fill out applications online and being that people are in dying need for jobs. This would tremendously slow that down from happening... Internet/technology runs the whole country and life without these two sources would cause total chaos Jack.
Thank you,
Stephen
Without the internet that helped galvanize the electorate to take our country in a new direction, we may well be stuck with the likes of Sarah Palin and the neo-cons in charge......think about that for a minute, really scary!
Well, I majored in computer science in college, and have worked with computers most of my life. The internet was pretty much inevitable from the get-go, so the only real answer I would have would involve being born 70 years go. On the other hand, I did use computers before I had internet access, so that's another way to look at it. Finally, I suppose I could imagine living in present day somewhere where I didn't have access to the internet. In any of these cases, I'm sure I'd be fine even if my career were different.
I am a retired person who, for the past 15 years, have used the Internet to take the lump sum distribution that my husband and I received and provide a living for us. Without immediate access to market information, there is no way we would be able to be solvent today. In fact, we are prospering with the rebound of the market since March.
Hi Jack,
I'm a 2nd year medical student and I can say that without the internet, life would be incredibly stressful, not that it isn't already and not that the internet hasn't added its own stresses. However, schedules are online, lectures are available online, notes available online, emails to your professors, access to evidence based medicine online, and if there was no internet, I'd probably be spending every waking hour in a library, or in a class, or hunched over books, scribbling out a schedule, and its just an absolutely a completely different life. I'm sure every medical student agrees and when it comes to my future, I'm sure medical professional agrees, out patients are more educated due to the internet, we have medical records stored in computers accessible all over the hospitals, its an amazing time to be a student and a doctor, at least in that perspective. I'm sure my professors and preceptors had no idea that my medical education would be so different.
We have all become dependent on the internet. This year is also the 40th anniversary of putting men on the moon. Try to imagine how that was done without the things we have today. American Ingenuityand a slide rule.
jack there would be no life
I would not be able to answer your questions each day in an attempt to get on television Jack. Life would be a lot less fulfilling.
Jack, without the Internet, I would still be cutting my tongue while licking envelopes to mail bills, text messages, emails and responding to your hourly questions hehehe. Without the Internet I would know very little about Sarah Palin. That would be nice.
No internet? Alongside with many UNFORTUNATE outcomes, Microsoft could possibly be non-existant which in-turn means I would never have my xbox 360...sorry but not a world I could live in.
I can live without it very nicely. Still play cards/games with family & watch favorite tv shows.
Winn
Kind of funny to old farts like us Jack. We lived without some immunizations before they existed. We had cribs with lead paint. The microwave oven only came about as code name "The speedy weenie"..
You know what Jack. Bottom line is I still read the newspaper and still use stamps to mail letters. The Internet is what I use for amusement and nothing else.
I sure wouldn't be able to have my comments ignored by Jack on a daily basis! Steve WI.
I am a 19 year old bronx college student & my professors always encourage me to watch CNN. This is practically the only station my television is tuned because I am always on my computer online, checking emails, citing sources for my papers, reading blogs or on facebook. I haven't even spoken to one of my friends on the phone in a long time because we're always talking on aim. The internet is the greatest invention PERIOD. I don't know how some of you survived in the stone ages before it! I mean, I wouldn't even be able to post this comment right now without the internet! (P.S Cafferty & Blitzer, you guys are awesome! I watch you all the time, when I'm not online!)
I DON'T KNOW,
Because I am still sitting in front of this stupid Computer that God has cursed me with.
PeaceMaker
The internet, for me, has been amazing in regards to making money. I have learned alot about online businesses, marketing, investments, trading. It is a city of information. But you said the internet is 40 years old? I didn't even know there were computers 40 years ago. There you go. Some more learning.
Jeff
Queens, New York
Internet-free life might be better! I started using the net in 1995 and 14 yrs later IM tired of it. I want to go back to talking to people rather than I.M them. I'M gonna read/ absorb data from encylopedias and not take a 30 sec glance @wikipedia, show friends I care by mailing real greeting cards hand signed, for their birthday instead of last minute free e'cards.
Besides, my parents are now online – THAT – tells me it's old fashioned.
The internet has changed almost everything, my homebound huband can work and earn a living because the internet exists! We have insurance that is very okay but very expensive.
I can keep in touch with my children who are grown and on their own, uninsured, but at least employed. We can have skype sessions and I can see my beautiful grandson, because we have the internet.
People are reconnecting with old far away friends and family because we have this ability through the internet . And anyone can make new friends because we have this wonderful communication tool, the internet.
Not much. Less news and more freedom.
Well, I certainly would be buying more postage stamps....
I'm a Graphic Designer & Website Developer so without the internet my line of work would cease to exist. Sure, I could find another line of work, but I doubt I'd enjoy it as much.
Without the Internet nearly every aspect of our economy would grind to a halt. Want to pay for your groceries? Cash or Check only, credit card processing involves the internet.
Need to send an important document to your corporate office located halfway across the country? Email & current Faxing involves the internet. You'll need to send to send it through snail mail...or can you? All mail carriers use advanced integrated computer networking to distribute mail now. I guess you'll have to deliver it yourself. Then again, buying an airline ticket also involves the internet too. Hmm...
I would have more money in the bank, I am on my 7th computer and with all the upgrading,software,hard drives and the cost of the isp service I have spent thousands of dollars. On the plus side I would never of met the love of my life.
not only my life but all of our lives would be shambles.....can you imagine if the world wide web CRASHED? It would be a world wide disaster!!!
Kevin – Northern Virginia
Jack:
Life without the internet:
1. I wouldn't be able to sell my products to people all over the world;
2. I would have to wait on hold forever to get simple stuff done;
3. My phone bill would be a lot!!! higher;
4. I wouldn't have as many or as diverse friends;
5. I wouldn't have carpoltunnel syndrome;
6. I wouldn't have to wear reading glasses;
7. I would never know my bank balance;
8. I would get a whole lot more sleep and exercise;
9. I would be thinner;
10. I would have to invent more scapegoats.
Bo.. Sykesville MD
Without the internet I would have watched you on a cable channel not 40 years old while working heart and limbs on my eliptical. OK but a done, more passive deal. With "IT" I have a tool to jump on line like this...thrown in my 2 mill worth and run the risk of appearing to not know squat as semed to be the case with me "TOO" realted to the job count numbers. W/o the internet I would be closer to hunting and gathering for business live in America's communities of work and workers much like cavemen hoping to bring home the big toothed boar. Now I can connect in quicker ways with more people. And do it with sweaty sweats. I'm going to shower.
P.s. Be Careful of ghouls, goblinns and government wonks
Jack, Congress should now create legislation to make
the internet much safer for President Barack Obama
to sign into laws. Spyware is one of the major online
safety problems, which cause people computers serious
dmages. Kids bully people online, too. Too many death
threats and sexual harassments occur on the internet.
For a change, America needs online reform for everybody's
public and private safety. Spamming and sending junk
email must also stop.
Without the internet, I probably would not have started researching my family tree. It is the best hobby I've ever had and most of the research can be done right on the internet. It has totally changed my life and now I'm known as the " family historian". I just wish I would have bought a computer sooner than I did. I love it!
I can look up anything, anytime.I can check restaurants in my area , since I sail on lake Michigan I always check the weather, and always looking for a retirement place to move to, and dream.