Tell me about the internet

[Abra]

Without any copy pasta, tell me all you know about the internet. I want to hear its history, your opinions on it, any relevant statistics that you've picked up, what you've gained from it, and where you think it's going in the future.

[Tyler]

The internet watches you while you masturbate.

[The Invisible Man]

The Internet is full of scary people like Fableflame. What's worse is that they make more of an impact on your psyche than the good people of the Internet. Oh, two more things. ~ 9/10 of random IP addresses have adult material. ~ Chans are the root of all evil.

[Tyler]

The Internet is full of scary people like Fableflame. What's worse is that they make more of an impact on your psyche than the good people of the Internet. Oh, two more things. ~ 9/10 of random IP addresses have adult material. ~ Chans are the root of all evil. That post is FULL of truth. Especially that first part. About that Fableflame guy, I hear he's a scary motherfucker.

[The Invisible Man]

Oh yeah, and I forgot the spam. Here's a nice rule that I didn't follow.... DON'T FEED THE TROLLS

[Tyler]

Oh yeah, and I forgot the spam. Here's a nice rule that I didn't follow.... DON'T FEED THE TROLLS Yeah, they come back to your doorstep and expect more, just like stray dogs.

[Techno]

The internet is this giant super-complex telephone-video communication system that is constantly expanding in digital size, compacting in physical size, and spreading out in both physical and cyberspace. It connects people, and people use it to send information back and forth. Visual, audio, mathematical, and pretty much everything else that can be transferred to digital form and stored. It's the best and worst of humanity. It's the epitome of our collective nature. It constantly changes, it affects the real world more and more with every passing moment. It's our new god.

[Invader]

The internet is my teacher. Whenever I feel like learning about something new, there'll be a great deal of information about it. If it's a new skill I want to pick up, there will be tutorials, whether in text format, via pictures, or videos off of youtube. I can learn virtually all the information that could ever be taught to me in any classroom, save for the experience of actually being there in person. There are videos taken of Stanford classes that deal with programming languages, and I assume there are hundreds more where that came from for other subjects. I use the internet to learn and to share what I feel is appropriate to share (words, digital art, and so on). On top of that, the internet is an incredible networking tool. You can find people from all over the globe who either do what it is you are into, or who also wish to pursue the same goals. The internet also makes specific games possible, like MMOs and player vs player first person shooters. Don't have a chess partner? Go online. The availability of human opponents in a game world allows for a much more mentally stimulating environment than playing against the typical, predictable AI. This is the new era of interactive entertainment. It also gives those without the resources to pay for commodities like cable television a chance to catch shows from another site (Colbert Report anyone?), which means that there are real world financial benefits. The same is included with phone services since more voice-over-IP programs are surfacing, most (if not all) always offering cheaper prices for long distance calls, some requiring no fee at all. If we take a step back towards the networking topic, we see that there are communities that band together to talk about subjects that are otherwise relatively unknown to the general masses (or the information isn't easily accessible). DV is an excellent example. There is so much information to be shared between so many people, and all of us have the ability to pick and choose between what we do and do not want to read. On top of that, internet socialization allows for many people to broaden things like their vocabulary and to improve argument skills when pitted against the more experienced debaters. Over time there is great potential to grow mentally. This of course is never guaranteed, considering one has to choose to use the internet to actively learn.

[Man of Steel]

Time for a serious answer. Because the first thing one learns about the internet (well, after the obvious) is that the the Internet is Serious Business! There are many myths about the internet, how it got its start, where lay the physical location of the first servers, just who actually invented the concept, just who actually implemented said concept, and how it came to be so incredibly huge. Several of these myths are true, but most of them are utter fallacies. Take, for instance, Al Gore's claim of being the inventor of the internet. In his mind, he likely invented the telephone and the wheel as well. In reality, he only invented the silly concept he calls Global Warming (not to be confused with the current theory of a climate change, though it is an easy leap). In fact, the internet got its start in a small subverse of the multiverse, located somewhere just positrive of Beutron III, inside an inverted spherical planet populated by creatures vaguely resembling circuits, whose religion was based on a complicated exposition of the Fibonacci sequence. But that's a tale for another time. The true inventor of the internet, the man who did the legwork to get it all started, is not one man at all, but rather a team. The team who came up with the ARPANET. The one who did most of it, though, would probably be a one Lawrence Roberts. At least that's what Wikipedia said. This was in 1969, which was a great year for both cars and film. The internet as we know it didn't take off until 20 years later, though, in 1989, one year after the USFNC opened the network to commercial use. Then, of course, in 1991, CERN made the big leap, bringing to the public eye their sponsorship of the then-brand-spanking new World Wide Web project, which was invented by a nice English bloke, Tim Berners-Lee, in 1989. The rest, as they say, is history. What do I think of it? I think it was, is, and continues to be a ripping good idea! The introduction to the availability of so much sheer knowledge, the incredible font of resources—it's awesome. There just isn't a better word for it. I think the internet is going to be everywhere before very much longer, at least in heavily populated countries that can afford the equipment required. By this I mean the prevalence of wireless networks, Wi-Max, and cellular broadband. Already in the US and UK you can access the internet with any compatible mobile device pretty much anywhere not heavily wooded. It is only a matter of time before this is expanded upon, and wireless access range increased. Just look at how much we, as a civilization, rely on the internet. Where would the money-makers of the world be today without email? With websites one can advertise to an incredible audience. Real-time communication is possible anywhere in the world via the internet, more reliably than with telephone networks in some cases. The internet IS the future, in some manner of speaking. As for myself, I have gained a living and a wealth of knowledge from the internet. Nearly everything I know about website design, graphic design, technical aspects of photography, etc., I have learned from the internet, and without the internet, there would be no websites, which makes up a good percentage of what I get paid for. It is also a great source of entertainment and humor. Couldn't make it without you guys and gals.

[Kiza]

The Internet is a place where people type up very large responses about what the internet is.

[Abra]

The Internet is a place where people type up very large responses about what the internet is. The internet is a place where people type up short responses to mock people who type up very large responses about what the internet is.

[Adam]

I know they guys who came up with the 'internet' never made a penny from doing so...

[grasshoppa]

It's formally called the inner-webz by it's more active users.

[Odd_Nonposter]

The Internet is for porn. And funny pictures of cats. Can't forget the cats. Or type in short, incomplete sentences.

[Lucid Lobster]

The Internet runs on a Dell XPS M1730 Core™ 2 Duo laptop sitting on Megan Fox's boyfriend's coffee table. Not many people know this. Her boyfriend's an older dude who secretly bought the internet from Al Gore in the late 90's. Because the internet is running on a Dell, occasional network "glitches" may periodically manifest themselves as you surf Todd's (his name is Todd) web. Unconfirmed sources close to Mz Fox tell confirmed sources that "Todd" is seriously considering adding an additional 320GB6 SATA External Hard Drive (5400RPM) to his laptop which industry analysis say could significantly enhance your surfing experience. "Dude, you're get'n a DELL!"

[Man of Steel]

Simon Pegg owns controlling interest, though.

[Lëzen]

The internet is a place comparable to a human being that is infected with a deadly disease - a disease known as 4chan. For this disease, there is no known cure. The antibodies of the internet are trying to fight it off with logic, reason, and proper grammar, but the disease persists still with its plethora of typos (many of which are intentional), an inflated sense of "otaku-ness" and the most senseless memes you've ever heard in your entire life, some of which will drive you mad within minutes. Many organizations have "Walk/Bike for AIDS" programs to battle against AIDS...unfortunately, no such program exists to battle against the equally incurable 4chan.