"You can't stop the signal Mal"

It is not so far in the past that I was given odd looks (ok I still get them but not for this reason) due to my usage of the internet. For the last 25 years the internet and for the last 22 the world wide web has been a major part of my life. Yes, the web has been around for that long and in saying 22 years rather than 24 I feel that I'm a bit of a late adopter ;)

Enabled by the internet I have made friends, travelled to different countries, cried, laughed with joy, shared my deepest secrets (ok they were never very deep and they're definitely not secrets any longer!), found pleasure, sadness, learnt, lost, won, bought and sold, made so many friends (yes I know I've said that) but that is it really friends, community, people - its bloody wonderful!

People said "how can you spend that long online?", "how can you trust anyone you meet online?", "they could be anyone", "isn't it all a bit sad?" (cheers for that one btw), ...

My mind just returned to such memories which are only from about a decade ago, those things were probably said by people who now have Facebook accounts, know exactly what CandyCrush and Farmville are and have people in their friends lists they have never met. Something I thought very early on in my relationship with the internet has stayed with me...

The internet and it's most prolific child, the world wide web, have given a voice to millions. At one time I'd have particularly spoken of those who are shy, ill, lonely, disabled, single parents, people whom for whatever reason have some limits placed on their social interactions but now I should add to that list whole countries, those who are discriminated against, victims, politics, religions, education, opinions of ever sort, inventors, artists, charities, the list really is endless. How did the world function without it!?

The internet ignores borders (in most cases) and even when borders are placed upon it such as in the case of Turkey recently (BBC report) people find their way around them and the uproar such attempts at control create just go to further the wish and belief in our right to unrestricted access to information and communication. We live in a much more open world today, how much more open it might become due to people and organisations such as Edward Snowden and wikileaks will depend on how much we believe openness and transparency are more important than privacy and secrecy.

"You can't stop the signal Mal"

Holidays!

Wow! I've done it! I've actually booked a holiday, two in fact. This is rather amazing, we flew to Australia with all the kids  6 years ago, to get married, and while I have visited family I have not been away for more than 3 nights or out of the country since then... oh wait I did visit Tim at uni in Wales for 3 days with Rob and Oli.

In fact Alastair and I never actually went on a honeymoon and any travelling we manage tends not to be together!

So what have I booked? Well 6 nights in Germany with Rob and Oli, this is still visiting family as we are going to Freiburg im Breisgau and will be meeting up with Tim and Anneken who are living about 15km south of the city. Flights and apartment all sorted :) But again this is without Alastair...

... and so Alastair and I are going away for a weekend (gotta start somewhere) to Newby Bridge in the Lake District.

So a May weekend in the Lakes and a June week in Germany, there is also a family booking for the Lake District for next year. So it looks like I'll have to stop saying that the only holiday I have is 3 days pulling pints in a field at Galtres Festival :)