"Why is it drug addicts and computer afficionados are both called users?"

(Clifford Stoll)

(jabulela.com)

I am about to take a 10 day "rest" from the net.

Can I stay away that long?

I know that I will get lots of quality family time,

plenty of knitting time

and maybe even some reading or shopping time.

Who knows?

After 8 years, I might even try and catch up on some sleep

instead of surfing the web each night.

I may have access and I may well be tempted...

(The one thing that will suck me back will be to check in

on the result of all the crafty fundraisers bouncing around the net,

thanks to Toni and Carli over at Make It Perfect.

If you haven't checked out the auctions and giveaways going on,

please, please do so.

They are awesome in number, generosity and quality.
Funds raised currently stands at over $45 000 Australian dollars)

I am giving away a couple of bags.

Please check them out and make a donation)

Now, where was I?

Oh, yes.

I was reading an article today about what exactly all this web-time is doing to our minds.

Given that it is now known that our brains are constantly evolving in response to the way we use them,

it is an interesting debate as to what is happening.

Our age-old survival instinct is to detect and respond to new stimuli.

(Oh, look at that cute furry thing...with big teeth...that is salivating as it looks at me...

Perhaps I should....ruuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnn!)

But apply that to the world wide web

and we just want to click on that link,

respond to that message,

click, click, respond, click, respond, respond, click....

to the point where we find it hard to think beyond superfically

and find it harder to comprehend whatever it is that we are actually reading.

(superfastcomputer.com)

There are (of course) mixed opinions...

Like,

hyperlinks and multi-media are overstimulating us and

making us less able to concentrate and think more than superficially.

But then,

playing video games improves memory and speed of information processing.

Oh, but

the internet constantly requires multitasking which most people aren't good at.

Maybe, but then

Facebooks users have more real life friends

And so it goes on.

The internet is here to stay

but it is up to us as to how we use it.

I do believe that excessive screen time has to be detrimental,

in spite of some of the good that it may be doing for our brains.

On the flip side,

the information and resources that are available 24/7 is mind-boggling

and the shopping opportunities are, quite frankly, fabulous.

Then there are the friendships to be made...

William Powers "pulls the plug" on Friday night until Monday morning

and the weekend is internet-free family time

His family, though taking some months to adjust,

haven't looked back.

(Taking a couple of months to adjust gives you some idea of the power of the web)

Something for me to think about while I am unplugged.

(markitthing.wordpress.com)

Though, given that the kidlets are also going without Wii and computer time,

I may not get the peace that I am anticipating

and I might be back to escape from the real world sooner rather than later.

(Information source: "Net Effect- Andrew Fenton- The Advertiser)