How has Internet influenced your life ?

D

Digital Fragger

A Functioning God
Besides some time wasting $hit, lolcats etc.. internet did influence my life a bit in positive way.. lemmi share some of the best things i've come across.

1. Today you... tomorrow me

Couple of years back, i've found this comment on a askreddit thread.. this was posted by reddit user rhoner. bit long but worth it. please read.
Just about every time I see someone I stop. I kind of got out of the habit in the last couple of years, moved to a big city and all that, my girlfriend wasn't too stoked on the practice. Then some **** happened to me that changed me and I am back to offering rides habitually. If you would indulge me, it is long story and has almost nothing to do with hitch hiking other than happening on a road.
This past year I have had 3 instances of car trouble. A blow out on a freeway, a bunch of blown fuses and an out of gas situation. All of them were while driving other people's cars which, for some reason, makes it worse on an emotional level. It makes it worse on a practical level as well, what with the fact that I carry things like a jack and extra fuses in my car, and know enough not to park, facing downhill, on a steep incline with less than a gallon of fuel.
Anyway, each of these times this **** happened I was DISGUSTED with how people would not bother to help me. I spent hours on the side of the freeway waiting, watching roadside assistance vehicles blow past me, for AAA to show. The 4 gas stations I asked for a gas can at told me that they couldn't loan them out "for my safety" but I could buy a really shitty 1-gallon one with no cap for $15. It was enough, each time, to make you say **** like "this country is going to hell in a handbasket."
But you know who came to my rescue all three times? Immigrants. Mexican immigrants. None of them spoke a lick of the language. But one of those dudes had a profound affect on me.
He was the guy that stopped to help me with a blow out with his whole family of 6 in tow. I was on the side of the road for close to 4 hours. Big jeep, blown rear tire, had a spare but no jack. I had signs in the windows of the car, big signs that said NEED A JACK and offered money. No dice. Right as I am about to give up and just hitch out there a van pulls over and dude bounds out. He sizes the situation up and calls for his youngest daughter who speaks english. He conveys through her that he has a jack but it is too small for the Jeep so we will need to brace it. He produces a saw from the van and cuts a log out of a downed tree on the side of the road. We rolled it over, put his jack on top, and bam, in business. I start taking the wheel off and, if you can believe it, I broke his tire iron. It was one of those collapsible ones and I wasn't careful and I snapped the head I needed clean off. ****.
No worries, he runs to the van, gives it to his wife and she is gone in a flash, down the road to buy a tire iron. She is back in 15 minutes, we finish the job with a little sweat and cussing (stupid log was starting to give), and I am a very happy man. We are both filthy and sweaty. The wife produces a large water jug for us to wash our hands in. I tried to put a 20 in the man's hand but he wouldn't take it so I instead gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl where they lived, thinking maybe I could send them a gift for being so awesome. She says they live in Mexico. They are here so mommy and daddy can pick peaches for the next few weeks. After that they are going to pick cherries then go back home. She asks if I have had lunch and when I told her no she gave me a tamale from their cooler, the best ****ing tamale I have ever had.
So, to clarify, a family that is undoubtedly poorer than you, me, and just about everyone else on that stretch of road, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took an hour or two out of their day to help some strange dude on the side of the road when people in tow trucks were just passing me by. Wow...
But we aren't done yet. I thank them again and walk back to my car and open the foil on the tamale cause I am starving at this point and what do I find inside? My ****ing $20 bill! I whirl around and run up to the van and the guy rolls his window down. He sees the $20 in my hand and just shaking his head no like he won't take it. All I can think to say is "Por Favor, Por Favor, Por Favor" with my hands out. Dude just smiles, shakes his head and, with what looked like great concentration, tried his hardest to speak to me in English:
"Today you.... tomorrow me."
Rolled up his window, drove away, his daughter waving to me in the rear view. I sat in my car eating the best ****ing tamale of all time and I just cried. Like a little girl. It has been a rough year and nothing has broke my way. This was so out of left field I just couldn't deal.
In the 5 months since I have changed a couple of tires, given a few rides to gas stations and, once, went 50 miles out of my way to get a girl to an airport. I won't accept money. Every time I tell them the same thing when we are through:
"Today you.... tomorrow me."
tl;dr: long rambling story about how the kindness of strangers, particularly folks from south of the border, forced me to be more helpful on the road and in life in general. I am sure it won't be as meaningful to anyone else but it was seriously the highlight of my 2010.

2. Youtube user Archfruit's comment on Explosion In The Sky’s “Your Hand In Mine” video

"let’s fast forward: you are on your death bed, wondering and imagining what you could have done. could have gotten better grades, won that tournament, or asked that crush out. but that time has long passed, and the only thing you can do now is think about what was done, set in stone… what you would do to get those moments back, and live it the right way, repaint the past… live with no regrets. close your eyes, and open them. you just woke up. now back to present. what are you waiting for?"




I think those are worth sharing and useful to atleast few people here..

do you have any favorite and influencing things you've read/seen on internet ?


Update:

if anyone is searching for link to original "Today you.. tomorrow me"
here it is.

Also tried to find Archfruit's comment.. but seems, it got lost in other comments on the youtube video.
 
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Nanducob

Nanducob

Wise Old Owl
Internet introduced me to good music & quality pron.Dont know if it influenced but it made me an internet addict:|
 
Flash

Flash

Lost in speed
Internet is the greatest gift of a man, to a man.
It became of a part of my life, ever since i created an email id for the first time in a browser.
 
furious_gamer

furious_gamer

Excessive happiness
^^ Internet has a lot of things far better than p0rn. It never influenced me, but as a developer it helped me. That's all i can say.
 
V

Vignesh B

Youngling
Has internet influenced me - I can't say for sure. But it has definitely inspired me and has given me a new outlook towards life.
I had read an article on how difficult it is for doctors to switch between personal and professional life about an year ago. To be honest, I was an extremely pesky kind of guy, always accusing my mother(she's a doc) on how she's always involved in her job and not giving me enough time. I remember always putting forward my needs first, even when she would have come back home after some unsuccessful operation rather than supporting her. Perhaps that article triggered a change in my perceptions and made me more practical.
Sadly, that link does not exist any more.

Another worthwhile post I read some weeks ago was on Quora.
Realize that nobody cares, and if they do, you shouldn't care that they care. Got a new car? Nobody cares. You'll get some gawkers for a couple of weeks—they don't care. They're curious. Three weeks in it'll be just another shiny blob among all the thousands of others crawling down the freeway and sitting in garages and driveways up and down your street. People will care about your car just as much as you care about all of those. Got a new gewgaw? New wardrobe? Went to a swanky restaurant? Exotic vacation? Nobody cares. Don't base your happiness on people caring, because they won't. And if they do, they either want your stuff or hate you for it.


Some rulebreakers will break rule number one. Occasionally, people in your life will defy the odds and actually care about you. Still not your stuff, sorry. But if they value you, they'll value that you value it, and they'll listen. When you talk about all of those things that nobody else cares about, they will look into your eyes and consume your words, and in that moment you will know that every part of them is there with you.


Spend your life with rulebreakers. Marry them. Befriend them. Work with them. Spend weekends with them. No matter how much power you become possessed of, you'll never be able to make someone care—so gather close the caring.


Money is cheap. I mean, there's a lot of it—trillions upon trillions of dollars floating around the world, largely made up of cash whose value is made up and ascribed to it, anyway. Don't engineer your life around getting a slightly less tiny portion of this pile, and make your spirit of generosity reflect this principle. I knew a man who became driven by the desire to amass six figures in savings, so he worked and scrimped and sacrificed to get there. And he did... right before he died of cancer. I'm sure his wife's new husband appreciated his diligence.


Money is expensive. I mean, it's difficult to get your hands on sometimes—and you never know when someone's going to pull the floorboards out from under you—so don't be stupid with it. Avoid debt on depreciating assets, and never incur debt in order to assuage your vanity (see rule number one). Debt has become normative, but don't blithely accept it as a rite of passage into adulthood—debt represents imbalance and, in some sense, often a resignation of control. Student loan debt isn't always avoidable, but it isn't a given—my wife and I completed a combined ten years of college with zero debt between us. If you can't avoid it, though, make sure that your degree is an investment rather than a liability—I mourn a bit for all of the people going tens of thousands of dollars in debt in pursuit of vague liberal arts degrees with no idea of what they want out of life. If you're just dropping tuition dollars for lack of a better idea at the moment, just withdraw and go wander around Europe for a few weeks—I guarantee you'll spend less and learn more in the process.


Learn the ancient art of rhetoric. The elements of rhetoric, in all of their forms, are what make the world go around—because they are what prompt the decisions people make. If you develop an understanding of how they work, while everyone else is frightened by flames and booming voices, you will be able to see behind veils of communication and see what levers little men are pulling. Not only will you develop immunity from all manner of commercials, marketing, hucksters and salesmen, to the beautiful speeches of liars and thieves, you'll also find yourself able to craft your speech in ways that influence people. When you know how to speak in order to change someone's mind, to instill confidence in someone, to quiet the fears of a child, then you will know this power firsthand. However, bear in mind as you use it that your opponent in any debate is not the other person, but ignorance.


You are responsible to everyone, but you're responsible for yourself. I believe we're responsible to everyone for something, even if it's something as basic as an affirmation of their humanity. However, it should most often go far beyond that and manifest itself in service to others, to being a voice for the voiceless. If you're reading this, there are those around you who toil under burdens larger than yours, who stand in need of touch and respect and chances. Conversely, though, you're responsible for yourself. Nobody else is going to find success for you, and nobody else is going to instill happiness into you from the outside. That's on you.


Learn to see reality in terms of systems. When you understand the world around you as a massive web of interconnected, largely interdependent systems, things get much less mystifying—and the less we either ascribe to magic or allow to exist behind a fog, the less susceptible we'll be to all manner of being taken advantage of. However:


Account for the threat of black swan events. Sometimes chaos consumes the most meticulous of plans, and if you live life with no margins in a financial, emotional, or any other sense, you will be subject to its whims. Take risks, but backstop them with something—I strongly suspect these people who say having a Plan B is a sign of weak commitment aren't living hand to mouth. Do what you need to in order to keep your footing.


You both need and don't need other people. You need others in a sense that you need to be part of a community—there's a reason we reflexively pity hermits. Regardless of your theory of anthropogenesis, it's hard to deny that we are built for community, and that 'we' is always more than 'me.' However, you don't need another person in order for your life to have meaning—this idea that Disney has shoved through our eyeballs, that there's someone out there for all of us if we'll just believe hard enough and never stop searching, is hokum... because of arithmetic, if nothing else. Establish your own life—then, if there's a particular person that you can't help but integrate, believe me, you'll know.


Always give more than is required of you.
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Another beautiful post
Here are some of the things my 20's have taught me.


1. Humility. This is the decade of failure. And that's ok - it's probably the first time in your life you've had to contend with most of the things you're taking on. Supporting yourself, managing your time / stress / relationships, figuring out what role you want work / study / spirituality / etc. to play in your life. Very few get through their 20's without some serious soul searching and questioning of fundamental beliefs and habits... And I don't envy those who do. This is the best time in your life to be making mistakes. It gets steadily less socially acceptable as you progress in age, so go crazy!


2. Honesty. You don't get away with anything. Anything. If you're full of it, people will see that, no matter how vainly you struggle to hide it. The truth has a way of rearing its ugly head, so the sooner you can come to integrity with yourself and the world at large, the sooner you'll be able to get working towards what you really want, who you really want to be. That ugly person you may think you are inside is actually going to be the most compelling, most interesting, most powerful manifestation of yourself.


3: Health. You also don't get away with self-abuse. Just because you can stay up all night drinking doesn't mean it's not taking its toll on your body. You get a bit older, and you start to meet people in their 30s, 40s, 50s who kept up that lifestyle, and believe me, you don't want to be one of them. Have your fun, but remember: they call it excess for a reason. Eat well (whatever that means to you), get exercise, get enough sleep, and try to have a steady sex life if you possibly can.


4. Having said that, pay close attention to who you find yourself attracted to. They will tell you more about yourself than almost anything else.


5. Get used to being wrong. Conviction can be a symptom of narrow-mindedness. Chances are, whatever you believe now will be out the window at some point in your future, so get used to being open to other assessments of what's true. Chances are also that someone out there - maybe a lot of someones - knows a lot more about X, Y and Z than you do. Let go of having to be right about things - this isn't a contest. It's not a game. You don't win at life. So say, "Thanks for your perspective. I'll think about that." or "I was wrong. I'm sorry."


6. Perseverance. You will fail in life, over and over and over. It won't feel fair. Maybe for decades. You've got to keep moving forward. Keep going. Keep going!


Oh, and don't forget to have fun along the way! Enjoy any moment you possibly can.
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Btw, I just loved that Today you, tomorrow me thing. It is something that we all should implement in our daily lives. Nice fodder for my thoughts.
 
rajatGod512

rajatGod512

N00B Troller
TheHumanBot said:
without internet how many hot babes (like we have seen in pron movies) have you seen in real life? and if you have then what are the chances you can see them naked? but what are the chances for a guy who lives in small village some where in andhra pradesh to see any of them?

and with internet BOOM! hundreds of them naked right in front of your screen.
( i have stopped watching this things back in 2004) :D #justsaying

internet has influences on my life, addicted to learning new skills/things every single day!
skills i needed to get a job is learned from internet no education background and i still manage 60 computers network.
means i ain't BE MCA or main stream graduated guy. :D

40% of my monthly income is from internet marketing. and there are many others things as well
so without internet i would be working in ball pen company for 40 bucks LOL.
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OMG! That post is dripping with NSFWness.
 
OP
D

Digital Fragger

A Functioning God
harshilsharma63 said:
The "Today you... tomorrow me" part has certainly influenced me.
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Vignesh B said:
Btw, I just loved that Today you, tomorrow me thing. It is something that we all should implement in our daily lives. Nice fodder for my thoughts.
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yup.. that's my favorite and most influential writing i've seen on internet. better than pay it forward.
the world would definitely be a better place if we implement it in our lives.
 
Nanducob

Nanducob

Wise Old Owl
furious_gamer said:
^^ Internet has a lot of things far better than p0rn. It never influenced me, but as a developer it helped me. That's all i can say.
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How could you be so sure,because 'influence' is not always a 'conscious' process;).According to 'NLP' guys we are being influenced throughout the life--we can even get influenced simply by listening to someone .Ofcourse there are better things than pron but no one can deny the fact that pron is an integral part of internet,so there is a chance that we might have influenced by it(subconsciously) and not be aware of that.
 
R2K

R2K

In the Zone
Internet has influenced my life so much.
To be precise it was the people I met online through blogs and websites that influenced me more i think.
 
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