I sometimes bemoan the impersonal nature of today’s electronic age where kids spend too much time with video games and everyone is constantly checking facebook and twitter updates instead of talking with each other. I guess it is somewhat disingenuous for me to grumble about this in a blog made by possible by this same medium. At the same time I am astounded by the little things in life that the internet has made so easy. I did all of my Christmas shopping while sitting at my desk – a huge win for someone who hates, seriously HATES, shopping in stores. In the past week I had to renew my passport. I went on line and downloaded the forms, found a location with the lowest prices for passport photos, and then dropped off the form. Just ten years ago this would have been an all day adventure. That is the internet in its most profoundly valuable mode – access to information. Those little things in life, actions that you only perform once a year or so used to require serious leg work to accomplish. Think about having to go to a travel agent to secure airline tickets instead of logging on and buying the tickets, including selecting your seat. Do travel agents still exist? The ability to quickly find little used but absolutely critical information for these “little things” is so incredibly helpful. I’ve made it a goal this year to finally start paying my bills on line but I’m still leery of doing that for the exposure to identity theft. My kids think I’m “quaint’ for still paying bills by check through snail mail. Maybe I’ll surprise the wife by accomplishing that while she’s away. While there is a lot to find fault with some aspects of it, I for one, am eternally thankful and constantly amazed by how much easier life’s little challenges have been engineered. Thank you internet.
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