The End of the World.
Ok, I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I needed to get this out in the open.
The other day, I had possibly the worst dream I'd had in a VERY long time. The instant I woke up, the first words out of my mouth were "just a dream, thank God!." What happened, you ask?
The Internet broke.
Ok, get the laughter out of your system. "Oh noes, no more interwebs! What a horrible dream!"
Done now?
Ok, now take a second and consider the connotations. How much do we use the internet-- not just as an entertainment medium, but as the basis for our JOBS. You know, income, banking, etc? And in the dream, not only did the internet itself fail, but every other method of communications broke down. No phones, not even radio. Within a day, the entire population of the United States was at a standstill. We stood at the threshold of a nationwide apocalypse-- no communications= no industry, no production/distribution, no organization. It wasn't going to be long, in my dream anyway, for the power to go out, too. We were about to be in a state of pre-tech, with a society that is utterly unequipped for such a scenario.
Shortly, we were in a state of meltdown, a state of apocalypse, and, to make matters even worse, NO DECREASE IN POPULATION.
Now I know why Stephen King wrote post-apocalypse novel "The Stand" in such a way as to kill off about 90% of the population, and why most zombie movies and such do the same. Can you imagine the implications of losing all civilization with the sheer number of people living in the United States alone? Without industrialization and preservation for FOOD ALONE, millions would STARVE. Soon, the people who rose to the top wouldn't be the best or the brightest-- it would be the most well-armed and power-hungry. Winter would kill so much of the population, while aforementioned scum of mankind would pare down the population further-- it would be the most brutal culling of gentle natures and tech-educated minds in the history of humankind. I'd like to believe Americans above such savagery, but can we really say that our society ISN'T three good meals away from brutality?
So, in the dream, I did all I could do-- without tech, my store was meaningless, so I went back home. We all kind of hung around, stunned at the developments and paralyzed by the inability to do anything or know what was going on nationwide. I finally sighed and said "I don't want to just have a pity party or anthing but . . . tech was my whole life. All my skills relate to it and without it, what am I going to do?"
It was about then I woke up and was very greatful.
So, why write about it at all? Three reasons.
1) Upon waking, I do realize that I do have a LITTLE more to me than just tech skills (and gaming skillz ^_^) but could afford to know more.
2) It would do us all a good turn to remember how much our society sits on the blade of a sharp sword, so easily sliced by the slightest misstep. There is currently a bill in the works that would allow the government power to shut down the internet "during emergencies." This CANNOT happen-- far too much power for too many people I don't think any of us should trust-- I don't care what political flavor you fancy, I don't think any of us would be comfortable sharing a living space with these people let alone giving them control over MASS COMMUNICATION!
and finally
3) Because in the dream, this whole shitstorm began . . . TODAY. 8/27/10.
So . . . yeah. REALLY hoping I'm not Cassandra.
Hoping it's all a pack of shit and that I can see you online again soon,
--Senmurv
The other day, I had possibly the worst dream I'd had in a VERY long time. The instant I woke up, the first words out of my mouth were "just a dream, thank God!." What happened, you ask?
The Internet broke.
Ok, get the laughter out of your system. "Oh noes, no more interwebs! What a horrible dream!"
Done now?
Ok, now take a second and consider the connotations. How much do we use the internet-- not just as an entertainment medium, but as the basis for our JOBS. You know, income, banking, etc? And in the dream, not only did the internet itself fail, but every other method of communications broke down. No phones, not even radio. Within a day, the entire population of the United States was at a standstill. We stood at the threshold of a nationwide apocalypse-- no communications= no industry, no production/distribution, no organization. It wasn't going to be long, in my dream anyway, for the power to go out, too. We were about to be in a state of pre-tech, with a society that is utterly unequipped for such a scenario.
Shortly, we were in a state of meltdown, a state of apocalypse, and, to make matters even worse, NO DECREASE IN POPULATION.
Now I know why Stephen King wrote post-apocalypse novel "The Stand" in such a way as to kill off about 90% of the population, and why most zombie movies and such do the same. Can you imagine the implications of losing all civilization with the sheer number of people living in the United States alone? Without industrialization and preservation for FOOD ALONE, millions would STARVE. Soon, the people who rose to the top wouldn't be the best or the brightest-- it would be the most well-armed and power-hungry. Winter would kill so much of the population, while aforementioned scum of mankind would pare down the population further-- it would be the most brutal culling of gentle natures and tech-educated minds in the history of humankind. I'd like to believe Americans above such savagery, but can we really say that our society ISN'T three good meals away from brutality?
So, in the dream, I did all I could do-- without tech, my store was meaningless, so I went back home. We all kind of hung around, stunned at the developments and paralyzed by the inability to do anything or know what was going on nationwide. I finally sighed and said "I don't want to just have a pity party or anthing but . . . tech was my whole life. All my skills relate to it and without it, what am I going to do?"
It was about then I woke up and was very greatful.
So, why write about it at all? Three reasons.
1) Upon waking, I do realize that I do have a LITTLE more to me than just tech skills (and gaming skillz ^_^) but could afford to know more.
2) It would do us all a good turn to remember how much our society sits on the blade of a sharp sword, so easily sliced by the slightest misstep. There is currently a bill in the works that would allow the government power to shut down the internet "during emergencies." This CANNOT happen-- far too much power for too many people I don't think any of us should trust-- I don't care what political flavor you fancy, I don't think any of us would be comfortable sharing a living space with these people let alone giving them control over MASS COMMUNICATION!
and finally
3) Because in the dream, this whole shitstorm began . . . TODAY. 8/27/10.
So . . . yeah. REALLY hoping I'm not Cassandra.
Hoping it's all a pack of shit and that I can see you online again soon,
--Senmurv