Ah, that makes it clearer.

[glenatron]

When I said "two weeks until we get broadband back" what I meant was "two weeks until BT can start the process of setting up broadband." It is only now getting towards two weeks until, at the earliest, we may get our connection back.

I bought a USB mobile modem at the weekend, but Vodaphone don't have 3G coverage at our house so it's not actually a lot of use.

Orange and 3 both think they maybe do, so I'm going to take the Vodaphone one back and try for a 3 one first as they do a PAYG deal that looks fairly good, but no matter how hard the people in the call centre are trying on our behalf, I am constantly astounded by BT's endless ineptness and the way they have endlessly told us one thing and then done another the whole way down the line.

Meantimes I can use a bit of interweb in my work breaks and I have a blackberry that lets me write the odd terse one-line email or lj reply.

It's amazing how reliant we are on this technology. There are so many things that I think I know how to do, but actually I only know how to search for information on how to do them.

This is coherent with my idea that the internet is an early part of the strategy from our future robot overlords ( did I say "overlords"? I meant protectors ) to leave us utterly dependent on the network with no expertise of our own and no attention span to devise new original strategies. Seems like they're doing a pretty good job of it too.

Comments

[gnapp.livejournal.com]

I think it's a bit scary how quickly we've become dependent on the internet. I mean, how did I find information before Google?

I hope you get a working net connection again soon.

[skiesfirepaved.livejournal.com]

Argh! Stupid sucky BT. :( I will smite them for you.
After they've given you your internets back.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Thanks, it will be one of the more deserved smitings, no question.

[life-of-tom.livejournal.com]

I can't remember who it was I was reading a while back, but he was arguing that the process you're referring to means that our minds are effectively distributed remotely- large chunks of information that you rely on in your day to day decision-making and thought processes are now held outwith our brains.

I think that's overstating the case a bit (after all, that argument would imply that having a library makes you a cyborg) but I know the feeling 'my brain doesn't do that thing I do, a database does.' I don't know when a lot of my social engagements are, but my invites list on facebook does, and my phone knows when my library books are due back, and the time of my next drum lesson. I'd be lost without technology. Frankly, even with, I'm not always up to the mark.

This sort of tech-dependent lifestyle is ripe to go horribly wrong, at some point, surely. I try not to think about Swine flu and closing power stations. too much of that and I'll only end up building myself a bunker full of tinned food, firelighters and disinfectant.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

It's all a bit The Machine Stops (http://brighton.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~prajlich/forster.html) isn't it?

I'm sure Swine flu will be fine though. Peak oil will be the killer.

[shiva-matimbres.livejournal.com]

charles stross, I think, in Accelarando he has a character who has a large part of himself in his sunglasses

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

What, like his head?

[stu-the-elder.livejournal.com]

I think Alien Sex Fiend said it best. "Ignore the Machine" was, I think, their first single, and its rambling, I'm on fire and I'm beginning to like it' sort of mentality covers the edge of paranoia about failing technology quite nicely.