# 7 Blog about technology

It was the early 90s and my partner seemed to relish the possibilities that this new technology, the internet, offered. But it was slow, clunky and required a bit of know-how. The internet was more costly then, and in comparison, offers so much more now. The 'net' has become such a regular part of our daily lives today, we could not have imagined this back then.

When we agreed to get a family dog, we obtained details of The Beagle Club of Victoria via the web, which then provided us with the contact details of a reputable breeder. (Here's the dog theme again and see #6 blog entry for an adorable picture of our Rodney).

Everyone has an email address. I no longer check my letter box in the hope for letters, the way I check my email inbox several times a day. There are facilities like MSN messenger and online role play games, where you can talk online in real-time with friends and family. My pre-teen son has more contact with his friends than I ever had with mine growing up. I don't agree with some people who claim that the net isolates. In my experience I see it as encouraging social interaction and communicating this way teaches the young keyboarding skills and to be succint in what they write (no time to waste after all).

For school projects, the web and the library online databases are useful and time saving tools. My husband has found a wealth of information there also on subject matter not readily found. I've looked up recipes, medications and their side effects for my mother, window furnishings, dining and lounge furniture, locations, phone numbers, what to do and when. Whatever is needed, it is available on the internet.

In my household, we often play musical chair (note the singular) in front of the computer. When one hops up, the other hops in, hops up, in... For example, we'll hear a brief news report on the radio and jump on the net for clarification, hop on for the latest soccer results, and so it goes on. We embrace the internet and all it offers and would find it extremely difficult, nigh impossible to live without it. If I was forced to live without the internet, follow this link to see what I would do...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eubCzq901P0

DD