Life on the Internet

"We lived on farms, then we lived in cities, and now we're going to live on the internet!" -- Sean Parker, The Social Network.

You don't need me to tell you we're in the midst of a technological revolution. When it comes to technology, the term "shelf life" is being redefined by the minute. This time last month, I was using the iPhone 3G. Right now, the iPhone 5 is sitting next to me. Little did I know my life's upgrade was so undeniably linked to my mobile telephone's. With the 5, everything is just...better. I feel more connected, aware, "with the program." I don't remember the last time it was out of my reach (showers don't count). The only time it is out of my sight is when it's in my pocket. My dad, the brave soul, is still going strong with the 3G. A few days ago, he asked me to help him with some settings on the device. After a mere month with the 5, the 3G felt like an antique. Only three years ago, it was the thing to be seen with. Now? Fuggedaboutit. I have been persuading my dad, a Microsoft loyalist, to purchase a Windows 8 phone. He said he'll think about it. May God bless him.

Today, technology is omnipresent. Soon, it will be omnipotent. Some argue it is already omniscient. You can love it, hate it, neither, or both, but you can't ignore it. Recently, I read an article that said a person's e-mail address can indicate how tech-savvy they are. A bit superficial, one may think. However, is it only me or do we pretty much expect every e-mail address to end with "@gmail.com"? 

Google is a beautiful thing

On the left is a screenshot of all the Google applications I have on my phone. In addition, I have synced the native Calendar application with Google Calendar, so the schedule I see on my phone is the one I see when I am on a computer. In fact, I'm writing this entry on a computer--the Samsung Chromebook. Game. Set. Match.

The iPhone 5 and the Chromebook have given me two things that are so critical in this age: connectivity and mobility at the same time. In these conditions, if I am unaware of a piece of news, it is by choice, not circumstance. But the utility and, indeed, the very existence of devices like these is possible only due to the ubiquity of the Big Spider: the Internet.

The Internet's influence and impact on important events like the Egyptian Revolution and Barack Obama's presidential re-election have been well-documented. In day-to-day life, it has given people the ability to conduct business with colleagues on the other side of the world while sipping coffee at Starbucks. Establishments like Khan Academy and endeavors like Coursera have made hitherto unforeseen concepts accessible. In short, the Internet has made the world within reach. It is really up to us to decide how much of it we want to grab.

The broad theme that emerges out of the Internet's proliferation is one of empowerment: Wikipedia (knowledge), Amazon (consumer products), Facebook (personal connections), Twitter (news updates), LinkedIn (professional connections), Skype (international telephony), Evernote (productivity), and so on. The Internet, like curiosity, is limitless. I am a big Roger Ebert fan. I learn more about a movie by reading his review of it than by watching the movie. The Internet has made that possible.

It is important to build one's virtual identity these days, establish one's online presence. It takes time to build one's brand. One has to know themselves, their beliefs, fears, prejudices, desires, and ambitions. And even then, one is constantly learning. To paraphrase one of my favorite quotations, write because you have something to write, not because you have to write something. I am not at all implying I do that. It is a process, like life itself. One hopes to reach that point eventually.

I love the Internet. Perhaps because I associate it strongly with freedom. Living in America, one runs the risk of taking freedom for granted. Justly, with news of atrocities being committed in the name of religion, politics, and, yes, freedom, it is the Internet that helps us put it in perspective. It is imperative the Internet remain open and untainted. By that, I mean an eternal separation of Internet and state. Government is too multitudinous an entity. It is constantly being pulled in multiple directions. I do not contradict myself when I wrote the Internet is limitless. The whole of Internet represents the spread of information and knowledge unencumbered by borders and ideology. It is said the human spirit thrives when fueled by a regular supply of education. History is proof that when free circulation of knowledge is prohibited, societies collapse.