"Running the Internet" and other meaningless terms

[Paul King]

> 
> I say "Does this computer have internet access?"

Oh, but that's boring (because it happens to be a correct statement). 

But I just wonder how many people "out there" (hand-wavy guesture toward the 
window) think that the internet just vanishes when they switch off the power 
button.

> You say potato, I say potatoe. I dont worry much about semantics.
> 

Many people don't, but I know a lot of people with utterly limited 'net savvy 
that would believe "running the internet" to be a literally true phrase. That 
is, the internet is something you "run" on your computer. No concept of 
networking. Or applications. Or operating systems. The computer is just an 
appliance to them like a toaster. You click on that cute little "e" picture on 
the side of the screen, you get the internet. Like when you put bread in the 
rectangular holes and press the handle thingy, you get toast.

Paul

> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul King" <pking123-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg at public.gmane.org>
> To: <tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org>
> Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 1:13 AM
> Subject: [TLUG]: "Running the Internet" and other meaningless terms
> 
> 
> > >
> > > Okay, first of all "running The Internet" is a vague term, generally
> >
> > I don't know why that phrase inspired me, but it did. I began imagining
> that
> > this would be exactly the kind of phrase a person would utter in sentences
> from
> > time to time when their brain is not engaged, as if the Internet has no
> > existence independent of the computer.
> >
> > To salesman: "Does this computer run the Internet"?
> > To tech support: "The internet stopped running, and I don't know why."
> > Student to teacher (brightly): "The internet is run using Internet
> Explorer."
> >
> > =========================================================
> > Paul King              http://www3.sympatico.ca/pking123/
> >
> >
=========================================================
Paul King              http://www3.sympatico.ca/pking123/


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