As I sit

As I sit here, with a couple of nice bottles of Downtown Brown Ale, a warm cat, a VPN connection to the corporate network*, IRC open, and emails in my inbox, I can't help but reflect — and not for the first time — on the connectedness of the modern world.

Even ten years ago, living in California for any length of time would mean significant disconnection from England; Marmite, good tea, and rain would become mere distant memories; outdated international editions of London newspapers would tell tales of cricket and bombings to those on foreign shores. These days I still send letters, for sentimental reasons, and I make the occasional telephone call, but I also have the comfort of continual ‘gentle’ interaction through IM and email with people I care about, all over the world. (Indeed, being connected with people “around the world” at all is a small miracle.)

Because of this continual, very mobile, connection — there's a part of me that's always there in some reality, whether I'm in a Heathrow departures lounge, connected over my 3G phone, or in a Starbucks in Burlingame — I also feel more mobile. There's less of a need to be in any one particular place — any one particular country — because the people I care about come with me. I'm a technological hermit crab, carrying my digital home around on my back.

In other words, it doesn't really matter where I am; the important part of me is always a thin sheet of diodes and some wire away from those I love.

* Which worked first time — put in the IP and it works! Yes, it's approaching 9pm and I'm still working. Sue me.

Posted at 2005-09-14 20:56:02 by Richard • Link to As I sit
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