How did we live before the internet?

How Did We Live Before the Internet?

And I'm not talking about e-books versus paper books. That's a subject for a whole other blog post.

As I sat down to write my review of Killers of the Flower Moon the other day, my computer started doing some very weird things. I turned the computer off and then turned it back on. Isn't that supposed to be the best fix available? It didn't work. Once I turned the computer back on, after it reconfigured and installed updates and whatever it does when I'm not looking, I no longer had access to the internet! At all.

I had places to go and people to see so I turned the computer off again and walked away, hoping that maybe the walking away for a few hours would make a difference. And it seemed to. I came home from Books & Beer Club, happy and tired. I turned on my computer, and lo and behold, I was once again connected to the wider world.  I was happy and tired, tired being a key word, so I plopped down on the couch and watched some TV and went to bed, planning to get to the review the next day.

Only when I turned my computer back on, I was no longer connected to the internet. The computer itself seemed fine, thank goodness. But I wasn't connected to anyone or anything.

A few years ago, in the days before portable devices, I probably would have totally freaked out. But I've got a desktop, a laptop, a tablet and a phone. So personally, I was still connected. But I couldn't do the few things that I rely on my desktop computer to be able to do.

Six hours of tinkering and canned air spraying and reorganizing our entire office so that my desktop could be hardwire connected to our router, it appeared as though my wifi adapter has been fried.

Thirty years ago, most of the words I have just typed were not in my vocabulary. Many of them weren't even words or concepts yet. Lots and lots has changed.

And yes, I love the internet... and I love my e-books!