Internet

I don’t actually have Internet at home, as matter of choice, but sometimes I can get the public network from the doctor’s office down the street from where I live. I figure if I am using his network after hours, it doesn’t really cost him anything – and it’s open, for the sole reason of the public to use it. He also has a private network. On Monday though, the Internet over the doctor’s network stopped working.

I was a bit disappointed at first. Incessantly checking Facebook, Twitter, and social media is always fun. Somebody is always writing an interesting article on something, and you can always learn about something new on the Internet. But it’s also an incredible distraction, with a million things that could distract an individual, like looking at cute pictures of cattle or jacked up trucks.

But without the Internet, I can get done a lot more projects and reading that would other be wasted on stupid things. I can do more writing, more thinking, and more coding without the distraction of Facebook and Twitter. It’s actually kind of nice.

The other day I saw an advertisement for 2-megabit cable internet at home for $14.95 plus taxes and fees. So maybe $20-25 a month or $260-300 a year when you figure in all fees that Cable Companies charge. But I realized, I really don’t need Internet at home. I’d rather spend the money on gasoline or something fun. I’ve lived most of my life without high-speed internet at home, and no television.

There is the Bethlehem Public Library which is open daily from 9-9 on weekdays, 10-5 Saturdays, and 12-5 Sundays. It’s a short walk from my home. Walking is always good exercise, often missed if I play on the Internet at home. The BPL internet is quite fast and works well for all purposes. Plus I travel for work a fair bit, and I can either get Internet on the road, or use my work Internet card. In the summer, I’m out camping or down at the park reading books. And heck, maybe another network will appear or the signal get better depending on the weather.

Eventually I will get Internet at home, especially if I move out to the country and live on a off-the-grid hobby farm and can’t walk to a library. I am more interested in getting 4G cellphone/wireless internet, rather than a wired connection, as I can take it wherever I go. Plus if I live off-the-grid, the cost of running a wire back to my house would likely be prohibitive. Cheaper land tends to be located far off main roads. It’s a might cost too now, but I am hopeful that costs will drop in the future, and signals will be available in more rural locations.