When the world is unplugged
2/11/11I have a weird feeling. I am currently on a paradise island, sitting by the beach looking at the waves tirelessly massage the white sand. The sun is shining, things couldn't get much better than this. Except, the internet is broken. I can't get online.
The phone line is dead, and so is the DSL connection. Not only that - my wife took the kids to Four Seasons to have some lunch and do some shopping, and she took my iPhone. I'm in a remote villa, far away from even the nearest village, without any means of communication.
The world could end right now and I wouldn't know. There is absolutely no way to get in touch with me and I cannot reach anyone. Mark Zuckerberg, with all his 600 million friends, wouldn't be able to reach me no matter how hard he tried.
It shouldn't be that weird though. I often travel and I am used to being disconnected during the flights. In fact, I often dream of going for a vacation somewhere with no internet at all. The biggest problem now is the fact that I didn't expect the internet connection to die. Today was supposed to be business as usual and I was going to be connecting with a lot of people.
I can keep working to an extent. I can write some blogs, tune up a business plan, organize documents, etc. But sooner or later I need to be online. It's actually quite scary to think how much I depend on the internet. I've organized my life such that I am almost completely location-independent. I can work anywhere in the world and I can move around freely as long as I keep my laptop with me. And as long as I get online.
Ironically, if you're reading this post the internet is back and the world is connected again!
Quatre Cocos, Mauritius
Update: No, the internet is still down at the villa, but in a show of Mauritian hospitality, I am typing this at a nearby villa where the friendly owners let me user their Wifi. Unfortunately the signal is not strong enough to carry to our side, but this works, too.
Coup de pouce: I know what you mean Jani, as I also work everyday with the internet. At school we have found out that somehow the Internet has brought us more work than ever. It seems that since sending messages only takes a few seconds, everyone expects you to answer the next minute :( Everything should have be done for the day before...
2/13/11
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Lotta: I try to get out of reach once in a while. Yet even during the holidays I have a computer with me and tend to expect all the hotels, cafés and restaurants to have a (working and free) WLAN. It's becoming a necessity of a good service, I suppose.
2/16/11
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Jani: Lotta, great to see you again! It's been a while. 
Yeah, I know what you mean about the constant need to find wireless access even on holiday. It's just difficult to be completely disconnected for a very long time.
Yeah, I know what you mean about the constant need to find wireless access even on holiday. It's just difficult to be completely disconnected for a very long time.
2/24/11
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meilin: My friend don`t take it the wrong way but I think you ARE DISCONNECTED form the real world ...the online world with all it connections (friends,co-workers etc) never was, never is and never will be ...REAL. The need for online activity even on vacantion is kinda like a drug, don`t you think?...Try stay offline at least on your free time (vacantions with family), and taste the world around you ...the one that`s realy real.
6/14/11
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Wen: 有时候没有网络但身边有人比如在飞机上等那并不会觉得很特别。只有当你一个人特别是又在一个很陌生的地方，好象出了什么事都没人知道一样，这时没有网络和手机就象真正的远离了世界。
2/25/11
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