 by Joel Tucker
In the remake of the movie "Scarface," Al Pacino gets good advice from his drug-dealing mentor: "Never get high on your own supply." I give myself the same belated advice when I break free of my computer in the wee hours of the morning, bleary-eyed from a night of web surfing. Some people don't know what web surfing is. On the World Wide Web, a "page" is a computer file -- it might be words, pictures or both. Any word and any picture can link to any page on the web. One page can link to hundreds of other pages. These connections are like following a spider's web from one intersection to the next; thus the term, World Wide Web. "Web surfing" is the act of following links from one page to another as they are presented, generally as a recreational pastime. Warning: Web surfing can be habit forming. Like snacking, shopping, smoking or any other habit, each link to the next page is such a small thing that you can't shake the feeling that "one more can't hurt." But you can "just one more" yourself for hours on end. You can "just one more" your life away. What harm does it do? It's a local call, and most Internet service providers offer unlimited hours for one low monthly fee. You invest nothing but time. Problem is, the time you spend web surfing is not invested. It is piddled away, minute by minute, link by useless link. A story about pets leads to a pet shop web site, which leads to a resource on snakes, which leads to a story about snake charmers, which leads to a Hindu studies course and a recipe for curried rice. Time is not a cheap commodity. Many people earn a living at the computer. The web, like a computer game, makes it a tempting playground as well. The World Wide Web is a salad bar of information. Click that link, and who knows what you'll find. It might be interesting or useful information. More likely, you'll find it wasn't worth the wait. The occasional interesting page makes web surfing seem worthwhile, like those little payoffs on a slot machine. But like the gambler with a Dixie cup full of coins, you'll play the game until the cup is empty and your time is all used up. If you're the kind of person who gets hung up on Web Surfing, consider the advice for compulsive shoppers. Set yourself a budget, and stick to it. Set an alarm, and when the buzzer goes off, get of the Web no matter what. If a work assignment draws you to the web, then stay on course and don't get distracted by all those other links. Make a shopping list. Write down what you're looking for before you start. Find the information you need, read it or print it and log right off. Learn from the successful dieter. Every second counts, like every calorie. Time wasted here must be gained somewhere. Concentrate on "nutritious" links -- those likely to lead to information you actually need -- and avoid "empty calorie" links -- those known to lack value and followed just for fun. The World Wide Web is a marvelous tool, and great fun. But like television, it promises more than it can deliver. It's just words and pictures. Look around. There might just be real people in your life. It's a safe bet they have something relevant to say. That's more than I can say for most pages on the World Wide Web. Send your questions or comments by mail to this newspaper or by e-mail to jt@bootup.com. |
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