The Internet: all you need

Good morning, you've got mail! You've got five billion unread messages between AOL, Yahoo, MSN and Gmail. And don't forget your Wildcat Mail! There is always one professor who assumes you check it daily and you are failing that class because you haven't responded yet. You begin your day by saying "hi" to your mom, feeding your dog and reading the New York Times. Run to the microwave, grab your hot pocket and it's time for work. You don't have to travel very far, just to the couch. Open a new tab in Internet Explorer and log on to your blog. You are fortunate enough to work from your own computer, choose your hours and go to work in your underwear. So far you've accomplished all your daily tasks with only the Internet. Now it's time to give your cyber dog a bath, instant message your mom a little more and tell Pizza Hut what time to deliver your lunch. In this day of blogging, online shopping and cyber relationships, you don't even have to leave home to do things we've done offline for centuries. You could probably survive with only the Internet. You can do almost anything online. Work, meet people, see the world, shop, play games and date. You can even take online classes and get a degree without ever stepping foot on a campus. Depending on how you use it, the Internet can enrich your life or create a completely different life for yourself. Add the Internet to the mix and suddenly the lonely have 400 friends on Facebook, the shy blog about politics and infants can invest on e-trade. The Internet can help you break out of your shell, but that's not all. The Internet can serve as an instant extreme makeover. In the words of Brad Paisley "I'm so much cooler online." What do you want to be? Younger? More athletic? OK, just throw a random number in your e-mail address like 21 and add a sporty word and an adjective. Suddenly you are rippedQB21@hotmail.com. The Internet allows you to create a representation of yourself that is anything but accurate. With that said, please be careful. You never know if the cute girl on Myspace is actually a 50-year-old man. Some people even use the Internet to create a cyber version of themselves. I don't know what is so intriguing about a cyber-you, but you can create an avatar that looks just like you and can do all the things you would do if you weren't sitting at your computer playing with a cyber-doll. Your avatar can go shopping and even clubbing. Your avatar can meet another avatar and have cyber babies. Someday you'll tell your grandchildren tall-tales about the U.S. Postal Service, and walking six hours in the snow, uphill both ways to buy a music CD at Wal-Mart. They probably won't believe you ever stepped into a real financial institution. Come on you old fogey, haven't you heard of online banking? As much as you use the Internet, don't forget the real world. Instant messaging can't replace a face-to-face conversation with an old friend. Likewise, the picture of a sunset on your desktop is nothing compared to the real thing.