What would YOU do if the Internet Shut Down?

I could still talk to my friends on the mother ship by way of radio.

2 meter (VHF) for local. The ISS carries a VHF radio and I did talk to them one time.

And 20 meters (HF) for world wide. Talked to people as far away as Argentina, Russia and New Zealand from Southern California.

But, the radio has been kind of quiet lately. Why don't some of you all get your licenses?

K

I would laugh and grin in an evil, sinister smirk...
Rub my hands together methodically and say:

"At last the time has come!!! Muah hah ha ha!"
"Now I can take over the world!"


Just kidding.
I'd just make sure my family was okay and wait for the panic to erupt.
We all know this would be the reason we prepare for such an event.

Or I might sit on my porch, drinking a coffee, and wait for my panicking friends to show up.
Whilest probably getting back to an old habit I broke a while ago...to calm my "nerves".
I know most of them would run to my house screaming, "I can't use facebook! I have no friends now!"



This is all in jest friends...

Back to buying mags at the newsagents i guess!

Oh, hang on, you didn't mean that did you?

reply to post by zorgon


Oh I'd PANIC!

I love the internet, one of my favorite inventions.

I spend my day online reading. I don't have cable anymore because everything I read or did was online. The internet is my endless library! If it went away I'd have nothing to read

I'd have books but I've read them all and the ones I tend to like to read arent available at your local bookstore!

Also my fiancee is overseas and the internet is how we connect so I'd freak there too. It would be really hard if we didn't have the internet. I think he'd go nuts before me lol

So yea I wouldn't be too happy without the internet, my days would be boring for sure. Everything little "project" I have going on I learn about via the internet!


As for the log in issues this morning lol I even made another account to see if I was banned or something Then I just resat my password

Originally posted by seedofchucky
I would get on dial up and local BBS boards. I'm sure that population would spike right back up .

After connecting to a BBS system via dial up , find a way to get on IRC , where im sure the world will come together and find out a solution.

Hey.. You can't get on IRC.
Because IRC is on the Internet!

Internet is not just the web, you know..

I believe (particularly with respect to google) that this has been implemented very slowly for some years now.

Pinpointing an exact date and/or year is hard, but it was a number .. maybe 5 years ago, where I started having a funny feeling about the search results I was getting using google.

That feeling has not only persisted, but has become a verifiable fact, at least in regards to my own browsing experiences.

I am alone in this?

It seems that it's become harder to find information even on the simplest topics. For example (just pulling this out of the hat) say you're looking for information on how to naturally cure a migraine.

In the past maybe you remember immediately coming across a myriad of useful links, from your typical blog, to physicians advice, to maybe a youtube video, a personal page listing herbal remedies, or a forum dedicated to that particular topic.

NOW, it seems that information is either hidden or "stricken from the record" as you're greeted with 2 or 3 pages of inbreds on yahoo.answers with advice like "if ur hed hurts den just cut yer hed off lollllllllll"

That kind of search result has become more and more prevalent over the last few years in my experience. With google allegedly using analytics and "learning" (ie: by spying on you) techniques to try and "tailor" your browsing experience... it makes me wonder how much of that is bunk, because I sure don't present myself as an ignoramus online.

What would I do if it just vanished? Learn to live without it I suppose. There's always the public library. My feeling though is a completly unrestricted and open internet will ALWAYS exist.. it's going to come down to knowing how to access it though, which I do believe may become illegal should you attempt to do so without the right "credentials"

Originally posted by tomten
Well..
I guess I would need to set up a Dial-up BBS again.
Like in the old times...

Ah yes.... I remember those.. in fact it was through those that we created our Medieval Guild. The advantage to the old BBS systems was that they were LOCAL and you could actually meet with all those online.

Now imagine the BBS with the speed of the modern web

reply to post by zorgon


I would turn on the TV and confirm if it was true.

Then, I would go to the gym and work out my frustrations.

Then , I would go shopping.

Then, I would drive around and visit my friends and discuss what happened with the internet.

Then I would come home and turn on my computer mechanically expecting it to have access.

Then, I would watch more news.

Then , I would drink myself to sleep.

I was reluctant to even get on the net in the first place.
I was eventually dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century because i was owed money from someone who eventually paid with their dear,sacred computer.

I always hated hearing dot com this and dot com that and blah blah internet blah blah.
Today i am amazed at how people are hooked on technology.

Its nice to have for social reasons but since I have been online (2008) my productivity has gone down quite alot.

I don't twitter,my facebook is not for socializing (I play games),I don't do Iphones,Ipads or what ever those things are,I don't upload youtube videos and I don't even text with my phone.

If it all went down....I wouldn't care one bit.
I hated it to begin with.

I was raised before the net was widely available and feel privileged for it.
I remember the days when we went outside to play.
No wonder obesity is so prevalent.

reply to post by zorgon


What would I do????
Hold high my Network Certs and experience.
Love the past experience with ADhoc networks and wireless.
And make alot of money offering my services locally to set up closed and local networks.

So what would YOU do if you woke up tomorrow and the internet was......

GONE

First, I'd probably think of you and this thread, and smile confidently because you provided an opportunity for me to reflect upon that exact question beforehand, ensuring that I would be prepared for this great endeavour.

Second, I'd probably get my ass over to the library, which I had earlier this year promised myself I'd do more often. Additionally spend more time outdoors, and appreciate the nearby woods regardless of the weather.

Originally posted by zorgon

Originally posted by tomten
Well..
I guess I would need to set up a Dial-up BBS again.
Like in the old times...

Ah yes.... I remember those.. in fact it was through those that we created our Medieval Guild. The advantage to the old BBS systems was that they were LOCAL and you could actually meet with all those online.

Now imagine the BBS with the speed of the modern web

I must confess, I have no idea what that is...

Good question OP.

I don't think I would panic (I can live withOUT the internet, was just fine without it before)..but .I would be mORE outraged.

People do tend to rely upon their pc's more than they should these days, imho. But there are other modes.
Too, a lot of folk continually waste their valuable time in goofing off a bit too much playing games for hours on end - neglecting their real duties in life and acknowledging real world issues. Too often, I feel that folk use it as an escape.

.. If the lights do go out, so to speak, I'm sure many will come out of the woodwork , wake up & get off their duffs in retaliation. Yes, I can see this happening.

If " they" could , "they" would like to put us back into the stone age with Fred Flintstone!
No, I won't revert to carrier pigeons either..(I got that on a response once)...but. I will make a stand somehow...and find some way.

Originally posted by LadySkadi
Back to the Library and read an actual Book!
Remember what they are?

Yup my library has a few hundred... several really old ones too and several autographed

I'd go read a book. Remember them?

The password test wasn't funny. I never updated to my new email address, and the old email is no longer in use.

Nice. We learn.

When i couldn't log in i started emailing the mods straight away, so, i dunno if i would last without internet.

I'd probably get more work done!

Maybe go outside for a walk.

Lose weight. Get healthy.

Stop feeling paranoid about the end of the world, FEMA, secret governments, the elites etc.

Spend more time in my garden.

Originally posted by skepticconwatcher
reply to post by zorgon

 

I would turn on the TV and confirm if it was true.

Then, I would go to the gym and work out my frustrations.

Then , I would go shopping.

Then, I would drive around and visit my friends and discuss what happened with the internet.

Then I would come home and turn on my computer mechanically expecting it to have access.

Then, I would watch more news.

Then , I would drink myself to sleep.

This actually made me laugh

It's funny partly because that is probably quite factual. I could imagine exactly that kind of day for many people should the internet suddenly cease to exist.

Take it one step further. What if the ability to use your cellphone was suddenly taken away. No texting, no MMS, no browing there either.

No THAT would cause a ruccus. You would have females commiting suicide on a global scale.

Originally posted by Flavian
Back to buying mags at the newsagents i guess!
Oh, hang on, you didn't mean that did you?

Me? Back to the battle fields and the dancing girls around the camp fires

More often

Originally posted by thaelin
Well........ need to get that old land line back again and then get the bbs software out again. Ran a BBS in the 70/80's and it worked. Could do that way again. Just found a UR Courier 144 and a 56k both external. That old 486 would make a great server again. I grew up on USENET, not the Internet. Kind of like Dos VS Windows to me. A lot of bloat. Just depends on what you want from it. We had files, public forum, some private mail and online games behind the 'doors'.

Again...
USENET is a part of Internet.
So.. that wouldn't work either..
Unless you can find some other network who carries the USENET groups.

The Internet is a wide-ranging network, parts of which are subsidized by various governments.
It carries many kinds of traffic, of which Usenet is only one.
And the Internet is only one of the various networks carrying Usenet traffic.

FAQ: USENET