PETE'S HOME PAGE ARTICLE #8, Jump On Board

INTERNET COLUMN # 8

by Peter DeWolf


This Internet stuff is just too exotic for me, I want to use my computer to play a few
games, type up a resume and some letters to friends, and maybe for the kids to access an
encyclopaedia disk for their homework. Does this sound a little like you? Then this week's
column was custom written for you.

In recent years, in fact just the past two or three, the home computer has changed in a
fundamental sense. It has changed from a word processor and file keeper, to a
communications device. Your current hardware, no matter how fast, how much memory it
has, or how many programs it can run, is minuscule compared to the capabilities it can
have by simply tying into the Net. It is a leap not measurable in megabytes, but a shift that
is of a completely different order.

Games? There are thousands of games available on the Internet, even interactive ones
where players a world apart can test their skills against each other. Then there are gaming
newsgroups, where players can find out the latest tips, and discuss the nuances of their
favourite pastime.

Resumes? Why not download hundreds of resumes to see what ideas you can pick up,
then network with people in the same industry to see what jobs are available in your field?
Then you can post your CV in one or more of the job banks that are available through the
Internet. Or check out the Home Page of the companies you are interested in joining. Find
out who the people are to contact, and what projects are underway that might be able to
use your talents.

Letters? Simply type up your letter, and have it delivered in seconds at no extra charge to
you, to any point on the globe. You might be surprised to know that many of your friends
have access to the Internet at home or in the workplace.

Check out the news from around the world, or the date of the next Redman game, find out
the latest weather for your flight destination, after booking your flight directly. Oh, and
don't forget to check the best currency exchange rate at the different banks. We won't
mention the great letters you can send your friends from a laptop after a day at the beach! 

Homework? From Aardvarks to Zoology, it is all there on the Internet, and not just a brief
article from an encyclopaedia, but a potpourri of articles, pictures, statistics, comments,
letters, related topics, references, and a lot more. Enough to fill several books, on the most
exotic subjects, and more than enough to keep you reading for months on the more
mundane areas of scholarship. The biggest problem is keeping your quest to manageable
limits.

Everyday I have people say to me that they read the column faithfully, but they are not
quite ready yet to jump on board. It is inconceivable to those people, including myself,
who have taken the plunge, that someone with a computer would not take the simple step
of attaching it to their phone line, writing a cheque for less than a meal at the Golden
Arches, load a program, and plug into the fastest growing network in the world. They
would instantly have access to almost anything, anytime, anywhere, and turn their 500
megabyte harddrive into one with limitless memory, and billions of programs already built
in. It is really that simple. Not doing it, is kind of like buying a car, insurance, learning to
drive, putting plates on the car, then not bothering to leave the driveway. Back and forth,
up and down, from the garage to the sidewalk, wasn't it a great investment? The
neighbours are impressed, and the bank manager is happy, as is the car dealer. But you
didn't get your money's worth. 

So, put it in gear, boldly go where many have gone before, and see the world. It is out
there waiting for you. Just put it in drive, and before you know it, you will see vistas
beyond your own back yard. 

On the subject of vistas, I found a link the other day to my former home in Belize, now a
favourite spot with scuba divers. There are some great pictures, and information for
anyone wishing for a rather different winter getaway this year. I can personally
recommend this Caribbean location for anyone with a sense of adventure. The address is
"http://www.belize.com", or use your search engine for "Belize".

Your comments, suggestions, sites of interest, and questions are more than welcome. Just
drop me a line c/o this newspaper, or if you already have access to the "net", my e-mail
address is "whisper@igs.net".

A final note this week. Bell appears to be backing off its plan to raise rates to Internet
Servers, as quite a ruckus was raised. Your letters, e-mail, and phone calls appear to have
helped them have a change of heart. More on this in another column. Until next time, see
you in cyberspace.


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