The internet and you

Have you ever stopped to think about just how much you use the internet? Since my last post I have moved and been living with reduced internet access.

Sound exciting?

I can assure you I've just found other ways of wasting my time. Usually involving other people or sleeping. Yeah, sleeping is good. I've gotten more good nights of sleep without using the internet than I have had in a while. The first key is that I'm not up until 12:30 or 1:00 reading sites like reddit. Granted, there is nothing wrong about those sites. It can just take a long time to read all of the interesting stuff that's out there in the world.

I hadn't really given much thought to how much time I was spending on the internet. As I think about it I feel like it fills the same void that TV fills for some people. Instead of talking about last night's episode of Survivor or whatever else people are watching these days I start or join conversations with things I read in links on reddit. Or, gasp, things I found linking from other people's blogs.

Now for the question I'm not sure I'm ready to honestly answer. Is this much better than sitting and watching TV? I am on a constant search for things that look interesting. I often forget to ask if I am contributing to the interesting things in the world.

what is the net impact of my life if all I do is read other people's material? I may be able to contribute to interesting dinner conversation, but what can I really do?

Starting this blog was partially meant to give me mental exercise. It's done pretty good in that regard. It helps me clear up what exactly I am thinking. It also provides a forum for people I know and people I don't know to respond to what I write. I've only ever been called a bad name one time.

Perhaps it's time to step up and do something more. Every so often I feel the urge to start another programming project. Though, the more time I spend programming the more realistic I get about what size of projects I can take on by myself. Maybe it's just time to manage my time better and spend my time better reading more literature and doing more in my life rather than reading web pages. Perhaps I'll even spend a little more time alone with my thoughts. This could be dangerous; it's a good way to end up with blog posts like this one.

All things considered I'm looking for some change. Let's see how I do.

Shaun