Matt, one of the student workers said it best in a conversation a couple weeks ago when he commented that in the future, he’ll use Firefox, with all of it’s extensions to access the web, where he will do everything he needs to do; I really cannot agree more. I could really care less what operating system I am using, be it Windows XP, Macintosh OS X, Ubuntu, or whatever else, as long as I can install Firefox and all the extensions I have come to love. And, if another web browser came along that not only offered the extensions I use but more, I’d gladly switch to it, as this post isn’t about what browser to use or what extensions to use in Firefox.
I access the web for a variety of reasons, ranging from communication via chat and e-mail to news and information. I use the del.icio.us service to list my bookmarks. Digg to search for news and other articles. Wikipedia for encyclopedic information. RCC’s intranet for work related information. Advance Wars By Web and Travian for games. I access my variety of e-mail accounts. That’s what I do just through my web browser. For work e-mail I use an e-mail client and for chat I use GAIM, but those are just programs to get information from the web. It all comes down to the fact that as long as I can use the web, I’m fine with the computer and operating system I am using. Sure, I might complain about the speed of the connection or the processor or the memory, but that’s only because I might want to do it faster. As much as I might like a MacBook Pro so that I could run Windows and Macintosh, it really doesn’t matter which of those two OS’s is better: I just want my Internet and web access.
Hell, computers are practically worthless to me know; I require implants. I want the ability to request information and get it, having it superimposed somewhere in my field of vision. When Meghan and I were visiting her family for Memorial Day, I couldn’t have wanted this more. Topics were mentioned for which minor, and yet important, details were unknown by all. Eventually I pulled out the laptop and searched Wikipedia for the information. Why did I do this during an active discussion? Because I needed, no, wanted to know the information, and I knew I would forget to look it up later. It would have been nice to be able to have the information presented to me in my field of vision so that I could know the answer to the information item in question.
“But Sean, you really wouldn’t know that information, as all you did is call it up from the web.” True, but would not the same be said for any bit of knowledge that one reads from a book and regurgitates back to someone, much like some parts of the standard education system in this country. I think that’s where some of the issues lie with people incorrectly using the web to find information. Many people choose not to look information up. Sure, most know how to type stuff into a search engine, but that’s not what I mean. The act of looking up information involves checking multiple, universally trusted sources. It’s possible that a search engine may give you a random site that has been ranked high with your criteria, but does not have correct or useful information. If you go looking for information and take the time to consider what you are reading, you will pick up and remember some of the information. Sure, not all information is important enough to remember, but I think it is an abuse of the ability to research, read, and process information to not attempt to recall what you read or where you read it.
That was a side trek, but a valid one. Internet access allows me to get to the web and all that is contained there in. I enjoy it for all it is worth, especially for the information it makes accessible. Many articles and information from the web have prompted conversations with family, friends, and coworkers, which range from topics that are non sequitur to important.
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