A techno world

For those of you expecting a blog about my visit to Louisville, you’ll have to wait another day or two.

I’m tired of writing about traveling and remembering my trips over the past year.

Instead, I’d like to talk about the upcoming presidential election and…okay, don’t click on the back button or gasp, the big X yet, that was a joke.

I REALLY have no desire to write about any of them. Instead, I want to comment on the internet.

Why? I started a topic yesterday at the Heavener Yahoo Group on favorite web sites. By the way, you are more than welcome to visit the Heavener forum and comment on this topic and others.

I listed my favorite web sites as Yahoo because of the varied content it offers. Plus, that’s where I take part in the fantasy sports. Baseball is my favorite fantasy sport, followed by football, golf and basketball. Sorry, can’t get into Nascar. No wrecks on fantasy racing.

But it also got me to thinking about what I like and dislike about the internet and modern technology.

The numero uno part of the internet I enjoy is the instant gratification. No, not that way. What I mean is if I want to find out something like what the weather will be three days from now, or, research the batting average for some seldom-used KC Royals second baseman, I could find the information out in less than thirty seconds.

Back in the old days, you had to wait hours or longer to find out information like that. Plus, the internet is a great way to communicate with old friends and meet new ones. Thanks to the internet, I have had people AROUND THE GLOBE (that’s what they used to say on ABC’s Wide World of Sports) actually see my photographs.

Would that be possible without the internet? Not likely. I think my photographs are pretty good, but I don’t have anybody banging on my door to publish a photo book because the Koreans can’t get enough of my pictures of bugs.

I have published several web sites, as some of you are aware. That has allowed me to get to know people who I would not have met otherwise. Many of them are now friends, or at least I consider them friends.

Plus, the internet is entertaining at times. There are interactive forums, games, videos, news and so much more. So personally, I think the internet has added to the living experience.

But…

There are things about the internet and modern technology that I don’t enjoy. The first part is how many people spend way too much time on the internet. There are people who choose to sit at home all the time instead of getting out of the house, exercising, socializing and much more, all things that are very important.

With the internet, video game boxes, cell phones and satellite televisions, modern technology has taken over the lives of so many people.

Yes, we have all of these items. I spend too much time on the internet, don’t play video games much anymore, talk only on the cell phone when it is necessary and watch some television.

However, I do get out of the house and go for walks (oops, usually with my semi-modern camera wrapped around my neck) and used to go for drives until the cost of gas knocked that for a loop.

I do not text message on my cell unless I can’t actually talk. I also don’t keep my phone glued to my ear constantly like you see so many people doing while walking or driving. It’s like a requirement for some people: I’m just walking or driving so I will talk on the phone about whoever and whatever.

Could I get by without my cell? Yes, but I would like to have it for emergencies and I use it for my main phone for work.

But I would really enjoy walking through the mall or driving and not see 90 percent of the people with a phone glued to their ear.

Sometimes, I enjoy just reading a book. A real book, not an audiobook or an ebook.

When I am out and about, I seldom see the youth outside playing, like we did. That’s how we entertained ourselves. Now the only kids you see outside are the Hispanic kids. No wonder there are so many kids struggling with their weight.

Some of my fondest memories as a little one are the backyard football games, hide and seek and whatever else we came up with. It could be hot or cold, it really didn’t matter.

That’s the way it should be for the kids, not inside surfing the net, watching television, texting friends or talking on their cell.