The Cryogenic Information Age

the cryogenic information age
We live in a world overflowing with information, so much that we can't possibly hope to understand or even be aware of all of it. With the birth of the internet, people are communicating with others more than ever thought possible. You've got your e-mail, your IRC, your ICQ, your AIM, your world-wide-web, your MUDs...millions and millions of people reaching out to one another. Instantly. From Cleveland to a small town in Italy in a fraction of a second. Voice communication with someone in Japan, now, free of charge, no strings attached.

Millions of people are chained to plastic boxes full of silicon boards and myriads of little devices designed to help you make contact without actually having to leave your room. It's a brave new world we're in now, the information age. Can digital signals replace a conversation? A smile? A warm embrace? Just how far can data go in replacing actual contact? Do increased transfer rates help? How about streaming media, more instant gratification? What can we learn about our society from the activities of the citizens of the anarchy we call the internet?

Over 1/3 of internet traffic is related to pornography and other similar activities according to some sources. The numbers are increasing. What does this say about ideals, about people? There are addicts to this side of the internet, but there are also people who sit in front of their PCs all day long waiting for someone to talk to them. What makes someone so lonely? Are they really all that far from the people who stare at 64-bit pornographic images downloaded on their high-end computer systems, in terms of what this activity says about the world that the internet user lives in?

People are slowly being replaced by data streams, cell phones, and online sex. Why go anywhere if everything you need stands before you?

What happens if the power goes out?

Welcome to my world, a black ribbon of asphalt to the horizon.

A gentle voice whispers, "Where?"

Return to Telepath's Haven

  E-mail me at: astrogeek@dork.com


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