The Day The Internet World Stood Still

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Abstract

cle on Medium when I tried to refresh the page and discovered…I. Had. No. Internet.Calls, texts, and emails to my IP had little result. “We have technicians on the way. They will service your location as soon as possible.” I hate automated responses.For over half my life, there was no internet. There was no World Wide Web. No paying of bills at your computer. Now, I think nothing of the internet.Until I don’t have internet.For about three hours, I read old Popular Mechanics magazines that were over a decade old. Old newspapers, Life magazines, and letters from the attic were as old as 50 years.I walked outside and enjoyed the sunshine. The dying grass of autumn spreading around my yard was a sight I had not thought much about.It was like it was 1990 all over again. It was just m

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e and the physical world.But David, there is this new thing called a cell phone. Unfortunately, my cellphone provider is the same as my internet provider. Both were out. I used a neighbor’s cell that had a different cell phone provider to call and text my IP and cell phone provider.It was a remarkable three hours. Something I had not experienced in many years.Then the internet came back on. The little bluish light started blinking (see above) and then remained solid. I had internet access.So, what was the cause of the outage? A squirrel bit into something, sending the world in my area to stand still for what seemed like an eternity.We are all too dependent on modern technology. That was the thing that stuck with me as I went back to editing my article on Medium again.</article></body>

The Day The Internet Earth Stood Still

Pic By Author After Internet Gloriously Came Back!

Imagine, if you will, a world where the ordinary defies explanation and the commonplace transforms into the extraordinary. A dimension not of sight or of mind. A world where the internet has ceased to exist. A world of long ago where people talked to each other and read newspapers and magazines for information. Look out! That’s a signpost up ahead; you have entered the “No Internet Zone.”

I was waiting for Rod Serling to pop out of my closet when I experienced an internet outage last Wednesday (10/11/2023) for about three hours. I was editing an article on Medium when I tried to refresh the page and discovered…I. Had. No. Internet.

Calls, texts, and emails to my IP had little result. “We have technicians on the way. They will service your location as soon as possible.” I hate automated responses.

For over half my life, there was no internet. There was no World Wide Web. No paying of bills at your computer. Now, I think nothing of the internet.

Until I don’t have internet.

For about three hours, I read old Popular Mechanics magazines that were over a decade old. Old newspapers, Life magazines, and letters from the attic were as old as 50 years.

I walked outside and enjoyed the sunshine. The dying grass of autumn spreading around my yard was a sight I had not thought much about.

It was like it was 1990 all over again. It was just me and the physical world.

But David, there is this new thing called a cell phone. Unfortunately, my cellphone provider is the same as my internet provider. Both were out. I used a neighbor’s cell that had a different cell phone provider to call and text my IP and cell phone provider.

It was a remarkable three hours. Something I had not experienced in many years.

Then the internet came back on. The little bluish light started blinking (see above) and then remained solid. I had internet access.

So, what was the cause of the outage? A squirrel bit into something, sending the world in my area to stand still for what seemed like an eternity.

We are all too dependent on modern technology. That was the thing that stuck with me as I went back to editing my article on Medium again.