Thursday 31 December 2009

Don't worry, I won't be sitting here tapping away as it gets to New Year

You know what? You lot take it for granted. Look at you! Just clicking onto the internet, all nonchalant, broadbanded up to the eyeballs without a care in the world. Imagine that was taken away from you, and instead of your speedy free unlimited wifi service, you had to pay by the minute each time you wanted to check into the online world. Or worse still, have time run out mid way through a Facebook status update. You're shuddering at the thought, aren't you?

This lack of internet connectivity since I've been travelling about takes a fair bit of getting used to. While most places I've been staying have had internet, usually the charge is around $6 an hour (£3.40), payable in advance or by the minute. Wifi has been a little harder to come by, although most (but not all) computers have a USB drive, which means I can write everything on my netbook beforehand and copy and paste it over once I'm online.

Sometimes, a hostel will supply you with a couple of aging computers and a dial-up speed connection. Frustrating isn't the word when you've paid for an hours internet time, only to spend 45 minutes waiting for your inbox to load.

For a blogger who would normally publish anything up to 5 blog posts a week, it's been a bit of a shock to ye old system. Not that I want to spend every minute of my trip at a computer, not at all; my inbox is dead and Facebook now bores my socks off. But travelling and blogging go pretty much hand in hand. When you can't do it as regularly as you'd like, when you watch your stats diminish through lack of reciprocal comments, and to find yourself faced with a google reader full of stories you don't have the money to read...woe is me. For I cannot blog. And I like to blog.

Which is why I like Perth, where I'm back for a few days over New Year. Perth's cultural square is about 2 minutes walk from my hostel, and there you will find 24/7 free wifi. This makes the space outside Perth's museums, art galleries and State Library my new favourite place. I'm writing this on a bench, in the sun, surrounded by about 15 other people all tapping away on their netbooks. Forgive me while I jump around, Skype to my heart's content, read your blog posts, write my own and twitter to a group of followers who, err, are mostly in the UK. Asleep.

But ahhhh, what a novelty. Free, unlimited internet. How I've missed you.

No go on, you. Show some appreciation. Go and give your wireless broadband router thing a hug.

PS. Happy new year, in advance.

11 comments:

Elaine Denning said...

Happy New Year, Jo!

I've read every one of your posts but admittedly haven't commented on them all. Why? Because if I were you, I wouldn't be bloody reading them!

Make sure you write it all down, even if you can't get it on the net. There's a book in there somewhere, I'm sure.

You carry on being envious of my broadband, hyper speed conncetion to the world. I'll continue to be jealous of your toes in the sand. x

Homer said...

Yeah, but at least you escaped a messy shark-related death a couple of days back.

Happy new year.

Please Don't Eat With Your Mouth Open said...

Elaine - Oh, I know you're there reading, it's all good :) Everythings getting written down in one form or another, toes, sand and all. Happy new year.

Homer - That I did. Thank god I've got feet to party with tonight. Happy new year.

Soup said...

Hello Jo! Happy New Year for just a few hours' time for you! :)

My mobile phone died so I had no phone for one day and I was going spare - even with the internet working no problem! - so I know what it's like to become dependent on technology :)

I used to get terribly upset when the dreadful internet service in my old shared house was up the spout.

Now put that netbook away and get ready to see the new year in Aussie style x

Helen said...

Hope you're having a fantastic time over there, and here's to a marvellous 2010! xx

not twitter said...

Must be just a couple of hours away where you are now, which means you're probably pissed and regretting turning that horny 70 year old down last week. Happy new year.

Brennig said...

Free? You think what I've got comes free?

HNY!!!

Anonymous said...

You're in Perth? Oh cool! Perth! Tim Minchin's from Perth. So are my 3rd cousin's I've never met.
My friend Mart and I have a 100% track record of meeting people from Perth, because they've always said, "Perth, where I'm from".

I don't know whyHAPPYNEWYEAR!!!

The Unbearable Banishment said...

Technology was suppose to set us free. Just look at what a mess it's made of us! As of this typing, you are already in 2010. I saw it on the news. Trippy New Year, Jo.

Ellie said...

I'm commenting to say hi. Love ya. Mean it.

Robbie said...

Good to see youve got the chance to update.

I hate my new broadband.

Youd think coming from a small fishing village on the south coast of Spain to a more modern 5 year old apartment I'd have a better net connection? The total opposite.

I'm hating the internet at the moment!

 

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