The bit that makes the magic — the dongle that connects me to the Internet and the world.
Connections: what does being connected mean to me? John Donne wrote, “No man is an island.” Today, that phrase would be excoriated as sexist, yet the sentiment holds true.
No matter which of our planet’s countries you are in, all the other countries are just a click away via the Internet. Direct connections are possible between any two of us, anywhere. WordPress itself is an example of how we connect via the Internet. Isn’t great to look at your site stats and see that, say, one person in Jersey indulged in 112 views of your blog in one session (as I see was the case on 5 September on this blog!)? Or to catch up with fellow bloggers from other countries, people you’ve never truly “met” yet with whom you feel a connection nonetheless?
But this magic doesn’t happen like, well, magic. You need hardware, software, electricity, electrons, and the genius of people such as Tim Berners-Lee. I can’t capture images of electricity or electrons or even software, nor of the inventor of the World Wide Web, so, instead, here is my hardware. Without it, I could not connect with the world.
My laptop.
I HATE trackpads and all their variants; give me a mouse any day.
Imagine our small blue-green planet without the Internet. I can remember that time, and it’s not something I want to go back to. “No man is an island”; I know I’m not.
“Blue Marble” – image courtesy of NASA
I enjoyed reading your reflection. Hardware does keep us connected to the human software. I hope you’ll continue to stay connected with like minds. x
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“Hardware does keep us connected to the human software” — that’s very nicely put! I with I’d thought of that. 🙂 Thanks for your insight.
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The pleasure was all mine. Thank you for the inspiration. x
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It’s looking like being about time you and I became more than connected by your dongle, Kaz ! 🙂
I shall send yer email, mate !
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Aha, so your visage is once again fit for public viewing? Hurrah! It seems my father had the same thing and used the same cream — it was on his arm, not face, but Mum said it looked like he had severe burns and he actually bought a long-sleeved shirt for venturing into public. They sympathised with your plight. 🙂
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Thank them, Kaz !
I was going to drop you an email when I got today’s mail … Temporary postponement, m’dear …
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No worries M-R, I’m around for the foreseeable future.
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