Back in April 2004, I quoted this: [original now unavailable]

"Like heroin, I don't think the internet is one of those things that you can just do casually." -Rory Blyth

I remember I really agreed with Rory at the time.

Well… now I was about to brag about how I’m over the RSS feed addiction, how I’m over the Facebook feed addiction, how I’m over the twitter feed addiction, how I’m over the Reddit feed… yep I was about to brag… and then it dawned on me: oh how many hours per day I am stuck on YouTube.

Yep… I don’t think my use of Youtube is casual any more! :/

“At least I’m learning things”… that’s my excuse now… just as it was back then.

PS: I’m not talking about watching “funny videos”. I’m talking about learning anything and everything from very knowledgeable people who share their craft, knowledge and wisdom in video form.


Comments from long ago:

Comment from: nux Blog

Internet, Like heroin ?however, it is certainly better, from all the points of view.

2004-08-08 06-54

Comment from: Martin

One probably should not make comparisons to heroin until one has been through the belly of the beast. Heroin, a very seductive mistress is the cruelest of them all bringing spasms of horror, bouts of internal melting and external messes and smells that should gag an undertaker. Such bouts can be lengthy indeed and brushed aside in an instant with the mere touch of the point to seduce one back into her delights.

2018-12-19 04-06

Comment from: amoun

RE: Martin

Yes comparisons are relative to the actual user, and maybe Rory Blyth had experience of H.

Drugs are not the issue it’s self control, H, C, O, NO, C2H6O whatever the makeup, personally I have tried them all and more.

I told my children that the worst addictions are tobacco, TV, and road transport as they were the most common and hardest to ignore, I can confirm that the internet is replacing the use of those three substantially.

Timothy Leary

In the 1980s, Leary became fascinated by computers, the internet, and virtual reality. He proclaimed that “the PC is the LSD of the 1990s” and admonished bohemians to “turn on, boot up, jack in”.[137][138] He became a promoter of virtual reality systems,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary

So although TL’s insight well placed I’m still in the process of getting back to the land to set my soul free.

The issue was and is for me that consciousness is more about being here and now, and trying to minimise the thinking that wants to make the world a better place tomorrow.

Communication via the internet is relatively easy but an indulgence of polarisation.

2021-02-10 14-06