Thursday, May 29, 2008

Scary

Well, I've finished my talk. I didn't start writing it until yesterday, so I was a little worried, but despite a few typos here and there, it went over fairly well. Now the rest of my time here will be spent doing normal work, talking with people and enjoying Germany.

One thing I find funny and rather creepy, although I suppose it comes with the modern world's utilization of computers and the internet, is how well the computer knows about where I am. I know it's just a matter of the websites I go to (such as Blogger itself) reading my IP address and determining that I'm in Germany right now not in the US, but it is a little disconcerting. I open up Yahoo, and I get German ads for German products that I do not plan to use, and often don't know what they are for, considering I don't know the language (yes, I'm an ignorant American who knows just English, and that I don't even know very well in all honesty). It may not be Big Brother, but sometimes I long for the old days, without the internet, cell phones, and especially without caller ID. Once upon a time we didn't need these things, and if only we could live without them still.

Of course, I would be the first to admit that I in fact do not wish to revert to those times, but nonetheless...

by Topher at 11:25 AM |