The Machine Creates the Obsession

Last week, I wrote about the woes of this blog's writers' inability to access the Internet from home. Things have changed since then, and we are much, much different people because of it.

When I first moved into the house where I currently live, there was no Internet. I was told that we technically couldn't get cable because the Powers-That-Be had to cross properties in order to get it setup, and they're not technically allowed to do that. Even though it's something that has to be provided, there is also no working phone jack in the house. I managed to steal a weak signal from a neighbor for a while until our next door neighbor allowed me to set up a wireless signal from his access so my roommate and I can share with him. Then he took it away for a while, so it was back to stealing access. Only thing was, the signal was very weak and inconsistent, and there were very few spots where it would actually work. Even when our next door neighbor decided to allow us to share Internet with him again, it took me a long time to de-program myself from going online from the foot of the right side of my bed.

When we were without our neighbor's access, and as our neighbors got smart and protected their networks, I had some creative surfing I had to do (aka mooching off Internet under the guise of hanging out and visiting others - I'm kidding, I love you all) until I decided to make the call and have the cable guys do what they're not supposed to and install internet into our actual house. That way, I had complete control of my network and had access to it whenever it went down.

Around the same time, I decided to sign up for Netflix. I got myself on their cheapest plan (One DVD at a time), so I made sure to make a quick turnaround with my single DVD, and in the 11 days I've been a member, I've received (and returned) 3 DVDs and watched 16 movies and TV show episodes online. Since I watch a lot of these while making yarn, knitting or crocheting, I've also used my high-speed connection to search for inspiration for new knitting and crocheting projects. It also has seemed to spark the use of my Last.fm account a whole lot more now.

My blog partner, on the other hand, has me experiencing flashbacks now that he has DSL and has abandoned our semi-daily correspondence of ways to make the other feel like the inferior, unimaginative loser in ways so subtle that the other doesn't really detect what's really being said (and it works) and has replaced it with playing Counter-Strike and watching trashy anime on YouTube.

I even wonder why this blog continues to exist at all. Let's give it 'till the end of the month.