Jason Hazlewood

During the spring of 2020, social distancing from COVID-19 forced a lot of people to have a lot of free time with nothing to do with it. Some people chose to use the time to learn something new, while others shared their knowledge online via videos, podcasts, and other media. Many coped by journaling the experience, and when this is done online in writing, it is called a blog.

In a world where cyberbullying, sexting, and predators lurk around every chatroom, it is understandable that parents want to protect their children online. Having a child get online without any supervision is like sending them to the middle of a large city alone at night, whether they are five or fifteen. The same hazards exist – scammers, exploiters, even kidnappers, and pedophiles are just as present online as they are in real life.

History has been viewed over time by ever-widening audiences. Ancient historians like Herodotus got it all started by writing books describing historic events. Hundreds of years later, the printing press made those books more widely available, and more people became educated and learned to read them. In fact, fiction was considered a fanciful pastime until the 1800s, with history and politics being the preferred reading of the upper classes. Newspapers also began circulating current events, so more people got to experience history as it was happening.

Disasters, emergencies, pandemics, and catastrophic events all strike without notice and create chaos for those experiencing them. Earthquakes, floods, COVID, hurricanes and tornado strikes are only a few examples of disasters we hear about in the news regularly. It’s bad enough that they happen and that people suffer from them, but for as long as there have been disasters there have been people seeking to profit from them in nefarious ways.

In the 1980s, there was a series of books called Choose Your Own Adventure. Readers would begin on page 1, but after completing a section, they would be directed to another page based on choices they were offered relevant to the plot. These books were on every reader and adventure gamer’s shelf during the Reagan era. They were only set aside when video games brought the interaction of role-playing games and massive multiplayer online games.

Everyone was stuck indoors in 2020, and that included kids. Several schools were closed for the rest of the year and many parents found themselves with children and teenagers at home in need of something to do. Since many of the closures began in early to mid spring, a lot of kids didn’t even have the outlet of playing outside, instead being relegated to indoor activities and the exclusive company of parents and siblings. Sure, school continued online, but many schools simply mailed out weekly assignments.

With stories of hackers, identity theft, and stolen data using computers in the news a lot in recent years, more people are wondering what they need to do to secure their Internet connections from invaders. The introduction of Internet of Things devices makes this all the more imperative, since, while our smart devices make our lives easier, they also have vulnerabilities that can be exploited if homeowners are not careful. Malicious actors have used thermostats to rob casinos, or taken over hundreds of thousands of devices to direct their computing power toward nefarious endeavors.

Everything these days is reliant somehow on the Internet, even things that can’t be plugged in. That’s where WiFi comes in. WiFi is the delivery of an Internet signal using radio waves. WiFi networks usually come as part of standard Internet plans, and are activated alongside your IP address. Internet service often provides a wireless router built into your modem, and you can set up your WiFi network using your provider’s online portal.

Telemedicine technology isn’t new. Webcams, voice-over-Internet-protocol, and encrypted communication apps like Skype and Zoom have all been around for years. Some specialty practices, particularly psychotherapy, have used telemedicine as part of their practices since it became available, and these days almost every insurance policy offers telehealth services for free or very highly discounted. 

There are so many different types of Internet connections that it may seem confusing understanding which is which. What’s the difference between cable and DSL? Is fiber available in your area? Should you get dial-up or satellite?

Luckily for you, we are here to take some of the confusion out of choosing the right connection. We’ll go over each type of connection and its pros and cons, and then we’ll talk about how to determine which connection is right for you.

When you just want to get out of the house but can’t, there’s the Internet. When you are looking for a new place to live, the Internet can help. Virtual tourism on the Internet is such a common concept that many of us do it without realizing it. Different types of businesses that rely on visitors coming in person have found ways to bring their physical sites to websites.

You might not observe your religion on a Sunday. It might be Saturday night, or Friday, or special days of the year. Maybe you’re so involved you go several times a week. Your spiritual organization holds book clubs, prayer sessions, guided meditations, and other types of meetings. But what about people who can’t be there in person?

Sometimes, we’re just forced to stay at home. Maybe the car is broken down, or the kids are sick, or there’s a repairman coming. Maybe you’re too sick to work, but awake and restless. Working online is an option at some jobs, but even if yours allows it, being at home can sometimes be therapeutic if we do something to pass the time that’s simply relaxing or fun, especially if we’re stressed out or not feeling well.

It used to be that the only people an individual had more than a passing acquaintance with were other locals. Extended families lived together in the same dwelling, maintaining connections for a lifetime in the same village or town. Over time, this changed, and family members started moving to dwellings of their own. Prior to postal services, this meant cutting ties with everyone a person knew and making an entirely new set of acquaintances.

Online classes used to be a way to get college credits or finish a high school diploma or GED. They allow more flexibility than attending classes in person because often there are limited lectures, no commuting, and students are able to work at their own pace. In some cases, there might be a scheduled lecture, but students can participate remotely from the comfort of their own desks.

For some people, the coronavirus pandemic was their first experience working remotely, but remote workers are not a new phenomenon. As the Internet has become more sophisticated over the past few decades, more people are able to skip the office altogether and report in from wherever they happen to be, whether a hotel, coffee shop or home office. More jobs are taking employees on the road, necessitating tools like video conferencing, remote access, virtual assistants, and file sharing.