The Explore More Scholarship

When I think about exploring my world I rarely credit technology for my exploits; yet there is a great deal of credit that technology needs to be given.  I enjoy family, nature, history, farming, archery, animal husbandry, and many other activities that if not for internet sites (and TV stations such as Discovery Channel, History Channel, Fox News, Food Channel, and others) I wouldn’t know as much as I do.  The hours I’ve spend on the computer, at work and at home, searching, researching, emailing, watching videos, reading articles, etc. really amazes me. The amount of time I’ve spent over the years gleaning knowledge and wisdom from its vast repository of information is staggering; yet without it I wouldn’t know a great many things. 

For instance, when my wife was diagnosed with Celiac Disease a couple years ago, I had no idea what gluten was let alone how to live a lifestyle that avoided it.  Thanks to the internet and sites like www.glutenfreeliving.com and www.celiac.org we were able to not only learn a great deal about what gluten is and where it comes from, but found excellent resources on how to avoid consuming it by accident and copious recipes!  Without resources such as these, my wife and I would have had a much more difficult time understanding the “what” and “how” of gluten allergy.  Also, thanks to the technology of the internet, more specifically web portals and email, we can set up doctor appointments, check test results, and communicate with our medical professional instantaneously. 

Another great resource that has been provided with the advent of the internet is social networking and data sharing.  A few years ago I sang for the band “I’ve Died Daily” and if it wasn’t for sites like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, Reverbnation, etc. we would never have been heard or played anywhere.  But thanks to the tools provided us by these networking and sharing sites we were able to not only interact with our listeners but have our music listened to by people all around the world!  On top of that, because of our online activity, we were able to set up interviews, book gigs, meet other local bands, and connect with record labels and producers.  Also thanks to the networking/sharing aspect, I was able to meet people I would never have had the chance to meet otherwise. 

The freedom the internet grants is immeasurable.  But with all great freedoms, we should be cautious.  We can very quickly become dependent on the internet and neglect our need for physical interaction with others or exercising our body and our mind.  That being said, the internet is an amazing resource without which we might spend countless hours searching libraries and records for the information we seek on topics that matter to us.  Sometimes it may seem intimidating and overwhelming, and there are moments when what we are searching for cannot be found.  But with a little patience and determination, you can find information about nearly everything on the vast web of material granted us by internet technology.