Commenting on my own experience of the Internet, I would have to say I’ve come along way. It seems a lot like comparing chimpanzees to Albert Einstein, with so many facets of change in simple routine habits. What was once an exciting frontier, seems to have moulded into the omnipresent.

Humble beginnings

How did you first encounter, hear or read about it?
Actually… I think it was back in high school when we did Computer Studies in Year 9 or 10. I can’t recall the teacher’s name but I remember his appearance. I’m sure he mentioned that it was quite powerful and we would be able to do some great stuff. This notion went down like a lead balloon as we stared at the screens of Apple IIe computers with a flashing green square cursor. I was definitely more interested in databases in those days – they seemed to store vast amounts of data and the fat controller would have the power.

When and how did you first ‘go online’ and what did you think of it?
Since I can’t remember exactly how and when I went online, I’ll describe my earliest memories. It was definitely all about email, Hotmail to be precise. Back then, in late 1996, it wasn’t owned by Microsoft and we looked at the messages through IE 1, 2 & 3, and sometimes Netscape Navigator – before we even knew there’d be browser wars.

Not only was I one of those geeks who knew what the HTML means in HoTMaiL, but I also quickly aspired from building the RMIT Outdoor Pursuits Club’s members and equipment database, to crafting the first incarnation of their website.

The sky and today’s limits

How do you use it nowadays?
It might be quicker to define what we don’t do on the internet these days. Today’s communications come in a variety of forms such as Skype video calls to my brother on the other side of the globe. Socialising via Facebook and other networking is a small part of my online life. I took a quick spin on Second Life, but found it too time consuming and interfering with my real life. Photo (and to a lesser extent video) sharing are my regular online gigs. Blogging is something I started to do as a diary, a journal method, (which doubled as a script for a trilogy of films) and it has also evolved into my noting and recording space for things like my studies. Banking, bill payments, clocking payroll timesheets, some shopping, a little entertainment, research, education (both giving and receiving), weather forecasts, navigation and travel arrangements, calendaring and scheduling… They’re all online for me now. Have I missed anything – probably.

Do you think of it as different or part of your everyday life?
Clearly, the internet is a big part of my day to day living. In fact, so pervasive is it, I’m constantly on the lookout for tools and practices to better manage my online life.