The Internet Is Fun

I know the Internet is a tremendous resource for any number of constructive pursuits, but every once in a while I am reminded of how much fun it is. I’m not talking about blatantly useless time wasting activities we’ve all engaged in – watching drunk animals or people getting injured on YouTube and things like that. I’m talking about something else.

I’m talking about things like this post.

I got my first modem about thirty years ago and I was hooked right away. I could not get over how cool it was to communicate with people all over the world and discuss the goofy stuff that interested me. First it was the chat rooms, then USENET, then the WWW. In all these cases I met people who were enthusiastic about and/or obsessed with some topic which is, at best, of marginal interest to “normal” people. It was a blast.

Ten years ago my son was working on something for a school project and needed to build some paper airplanes. Of course, like any geek father, I showed him some of my favorite designs – but I also explained to him that I was sure there would be an abundance of information about such an important topic on the Internet. Sure enough, we found step by step instructions and print and fold designs. It was wonderful!

Here are two quick examples I could find – Spreadsheet of Hair Cuts, and a professional nerd obsessed with LEGO.