Out of Egypt:

stuck in a rut on the World Wide Web

There was a time, a time perhaps when I was had far too much leisure, when going on the Internet was like a vast adventure to me every time. Now it's just become routine.

Perhaps it's because my connection (stolen as it is from next door), is so tremendously slow. People need the Web to respond quickly if they are to be immersed in it. Still, I think that's not the total explanation.

It used to be that the Web was a tool of discovery for me, a window onto a world of knowledge. I would spend hours on Wikipedia following intellectual rabbit trails, and elsewhere on the Web, pursue my special interests, always keeping an eye on del.icio.us for what new sites to tag.

But now that I'm so socially isolated, the Internet has become more a means of communication, as it is probably for most people. And this can be great, depending on what people I know have been writing/saying/doing, but it can also be dull, since it makes me wait on the initiative of others. I go on Gmail, go on chat, check my blog, check my subscriptions on Bloglines, and then I'm done. I don't know how anymore to while away the hours.

Perhaps it's because I spend at least half of each day at work on the computer, and so I'm disinclined to spend more time on it when I get home, even though the physical characteristics of my laptop are so enticing. I can't understand how anyone could prefer a PC.

But I think that the main reason why I feel this way tonight, and especially tonight, is that it's Friday and I was expecting to actually go somewhere tonight. And I still might - I think I'm hearing Cambridge calling.