My First Experience of the InternetWe remember when this was all fields, and lived a furtive life of dial-up modems and dodgy newsgroups. Tell us about how you came to love the internets.
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Scaryduck LIKES EGG, Thu 22 Mar 2012, 11:56)
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Second hand experienceNot mine, but my sister's boyfriend (now husband).
They were off in another city, both at university. Not particularly flush for cash, I cobbled together an old PC for them so that they could study, write, get email and surf UseNet. Soon I was down to visit for a few days so I set it up and gave handy hints on how to use the modem, post to UseNet and all that.
Back home the next night I got a call at 3 or 4 in the morning. It was my sister's BF. The tone in his voice said it all, someone was in hospital or dead. "What's up?" I asked, not wanting to know the answer.
"It's the Internet! I've broken it!!" he answered in the same panicked voice.
I was damn tired and pissed off now the adrenalin burst had worn off and told him to just try rebooting the PC, and if that didn't work, call me again at a decent hour and I'd see what I can do. But he was still panicked,
"You don't understand! I've *broken* the *Internet*!!!!"
It was about then I was awake enough to detect the herbally induced paranoia. Ahhh... There followed a brief lesson on why a network designed to withstand a nuclear war wasn't going to be taken down by a stoned uni student and that a swat team wasn't about to burst through his window.
About a week later he ventured onto UseNet and did a sterling job trolling the inhabitants of one group into a lynching frenzy before finally giving p on the Internet for maybe 10 years.
(, Thu 29 Mar 2012, 13:09, Reply)
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