Last night I knocked over a cup of cocoa creating a spectacular puddle of chocolately badness all over my MacBook and the kitchen table. Thus ended my 30 year track record of never ruining a keyboard with a spilt drink. I’m still able to use the laptop using an old USB keyboard and mouse, but its integral keyboard and trackpad are thoroughly borked. Thankfully my household insurance covers such events, but it means that from Tuesday when the courier collects the computer I won’t have easy access to the internet for a minimum of one whole week!
Part of me wants to rush out and buy the iPhone I’ve been promising myself for ages. And possibly an iPad too. But I’m very, very tired at the moment and a bigger part is saying “Why not see how you get on without it”. I’ve just looked back at Tamara’s post about her experience of living without the internet for a couple of weeks for inspiration and I think I’m up for the challenge.
And if I find I can’t survive offline, there are several ways I can get an internet fix without buying new kit. I could visit a friend or the library, ask a neighbour, or even see if I can get my old iMac up and running with a wired connection to the router. I will buy an iPhone (and an iPad) eventually, but I’d rather not do it when I’m as fuddled and fatigued as I am at present.
I think I’ll want to check my email every few days, but it will be interesting (perhaps liberating) to have a total break from Twitter, blogs and forums for a while. If nothing else it will make my level of dependence on the internet very clear to me and if life is intolerable without it, the justification for owning multiple devices increases!
I’ll tell you about the pleasures and pains of my enforced experiment with internet-free life in a few weeks time…
howilivewithme 
I manage OK when I go to the UK with minimal web interaction but you do feel strangely isolated – I hope you get yours replaced/repaired ASAP.
Thanks Ian – it’ll be an interesting experience anyway 🙂
I think you’re right, it will be interesting to see how you find it. Being sick and stuck at home a lot has made me a lot more dependent on the internet for social interaction and general stimulation than I’d like. On the other hand, I count myself very lucky that I am sick in a time when it exists. Good luck!
Amanda I too am very grateful to be lucky to be ill in the internet age – it is a lifeline for the housebound. I lasted two days before I cracked and set up my old desktop iMac so I have limited access at home. I’m just reading Twitter/forums rather than contributing and I can’t watch TV or use the computer in bed, so things are very different. I’m still pondering all the things I am (potentially) learning from the experience – it is very interesting!