The Day the World Stood Still...Well, Not Really

Wikipedia, Craigslist and a few other websites went dark yesterday to protest the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, which they say would bring censorship to the Internet.

Did you notice? Me neither!



Suzanne Somers Pre ThighMaster

 It turns out I could go an entire day without having to look up a "possibly correct" community created definition for "Three's Company" (According to Wikipedia, "The show, a comedy of errors, chronicles the escapades and hijinks of the trio's constant misunderstandings, social lives, and struggle to keep up with rent."). I was also able to make it through the day without searching for a transvestite that does good landscaping work.

Could it be possible that these websites are not as vital to our day and they believe themselves to be? 

I mean, of course, this blog is essential reading for you. Where else can you learn about pooping toys and Japanese marketing campaigns? But still, maybe it isn't Wikipedia, Craigslist and other sites that should be taking a break from us. Maybe we should be the ones taking a break from them.

Maybe we are just a little too wired into the grid. It's like the guys you see walking around (and they are always guys) that have their cellphone earpieces in just in case they get a phone call. They aren't driving. They are walking through a store or an airport terminal. Is the information in their heads really so valuable that they need to be instantly available on that first ring...that opportunity would be lost if they had to pull the earpiece out of their pocket and place it on their ear?

Perhaps we can live without instant mobile access to puppies that dance online or that video of the jumping skateboarder that missed the rail and ended up eliminating a potential limb from his family tree. Maybe we don't really need to instantly know what JLo said about global warming at the American Idol warm up.

So, the next time the WIFI goes down and you can't get online. Take a breath. Everything's going to be alright. There are things going on in the world that you don't instantly know about and, you know, that's just fine.