Do you remember life before the internet?
I might be the last generation that has workable memories of living before RAPID social media. Even though I was born in 1970 and was a teenager in the 80s, there were plenty of networked computers. The introduction of consumer-grade telephone modems marked the turning point where industrial-commercial-research networks became available for residential usage. Personal computers were on the market, and fiendishly expensive. The end user interface was not meant for the mass market. I can’t say life was quieter before the-internet-of-things. It was always noisy.
Life before internet. There were arguments at the dinner table — what was true and what was false. Propaganda is as rampant as ever… recoated in the latest jargon. Fake news.
I read paper dictionaries for fun. And the fastest way for me to vanish from painful homelife or visiting insufferable relatives and/or neighbours was to read encyclopedia sets. Books, books, and books. As a minor, I vanished into home and public libraries.
I get the feeling hard-copy newspapers and magazines were the analogue version of the network. Christ almighty, how much paper pulp did we as a society munch up to entertain ourselves?
George Carlin remarked in his book Braindroppings, there was a time when the atmosphere was free of radio and television broadcasts (I’d add there was a time before telegraph, telephone, and morse code blasted around the world). How quiet that must have been. Not peaceful. Silent.
#propaganda ; #radio ; #telephones ; #televisions ; #EMS , or electromagnetic spectrum; #ARPNET ; #telecommunications ; #jargon ; #cablevision ; #modems , or MODulations EMulations; #POT , or Plain Old Telephone lines; #libraries ; #books #encyclopedias
june 2nd 2025 rock farm report.
TS and I came out of a very lackluster weekend of craft and farm markets. The traffic between the May long weekend and July 1st is a slog for sales. The late spring and extreme winter necessitates a great deal of clean up around the home. Broken tree crowns. Deadfalls. Widowmakers. I have plenty of gentleman forestry to keep me busy. We won’t be building the guest quarters for our home anytime soon (no extra dough and we have to first tackle our debt). On a positive note, the roof on our DAY-USE-ONLY (yep, yep 100% legitimate) bunkie is now completed. When time permits, TS and I can lay the insulation and interior floors down (and sand/stain the exterior walls before the cold weather returns). Metal mesh will need to be skirted around its foundation to keep the critters out. More positive notes: we’ve ordered the metal roof for the FULLY-DETACHED-NO-WAY-CONNECTED-TO-THE-HOUSE pavillion. A local craftsman will install it, and thus we can wrap it in bug screens (so that we can enjoy the evenings without bug-borne blood loss).
Since the snow FINALLY went away, foliage has slowly emerged. Here is a visual showcase of images from around the farm:
There’s comedy, absurdism, and drama embedded in these pictures. When you visit us, ask about it. Example: this link leads to a post PN made about a subcontractor (trust, but verify and be critical of other reviews). GENTLE NOTE: our property is under surveillance and protected using RANDY’S SAFE AND LOCK. Don’t trespass, as you’ll risk rude receptions. Call before entering. Understood?
BCB&B, neemtree, bdb, and blog 