Life Without Internet

Source:marcusradich.com

While I was in high school I was much engrossed in science fiction, especially those under the themes of cyberspace. I chanced upon a secondhand book, a collection of short stories entitled Live Without A Net. And I bought it. The stories there center on the theme the title suggests—a future without cyberspace, without virtual reality, without the Web. And it made me think: what would happen to a world without the Internet? That seems impossible of course, but for a while I faced a dilemma similar to that. 

I remember a time during my recently-concluded 2nd year in college (first semester in particular) when I had no access to the Internet at home due to some lapses in payment, which later on turned out to be some sort of misunderstanding in how much to pay. It hasn’t been easy to be away from the World Wide Web for months, but I managed to get through it, and I learned much from the experience.

Routine

From September until the middle of November last year, there was no Internet in the house. I had to endure academic life without easy access to the Internet, so I had to find it elsewhere (and that was tedious). That meant lending saved money for it and spending spare time for it, either at the library or the computer shop. But there's no way—it seems to me—to get connected with my classmates and do most of my schoolwork but online. Besides, our aged PC is slow and broken, and I didn’t have a laptop to use for a while. And when I have had one again, there was still no Net.

So, after lunch I often extended my stay in the city for at least 2 more hours either in the library or the computer shop near the campus. Sometimes I went right away back home  and, upon arriving, went out again to one of the two computer shops I know in the neighborhood. On one of them I even had my usual seat. I brought with me my 4 GB USB, my headphones, and necessary notes, even my planner. I would try to stay online at the least possible time, but it usually went from two to three hours. Sometimes four.

At the comp shop, I usually would open Google Chrome (or Mozilla Firefox) and Microsoft Word. Often there’s music on the background, care of YouTube.

That 1st semester, I had a lot to do on Word. From research inputs for Marketing; project proposals for Broadcast Media; to scripts for a video project on Natural Science; to more researches and write-ups on Asian History and even NSTP. 

Of course, I also logged on to Facebook. Aside from scrolling the News Feed, I got information about assignments or announcements on our block’s group page. Our block's communication, when out of the class, is heavily relied online (social media in particular). 

I also contacted my classmates/groupmates there about tasks we or I had to accomplish on our projects. For instance, since I lead a part of our block—the research part of our block’s broadcast plan (our major project on Broadcast Media)—I, as my fellow leaders did, created groupchats (which I call group threads) and group pages on Facebook. There I posted announcements and pleaded them to comment a word of my choice in response to that post (for example: 'Chow!' or 'Checkmate'). We also send and gather personal outputs either on those places. Moreover, I collaborated with my fellow leaders or groupmates on Google Docs. 

On several occasions, a time would be set for the group (or the block) to show up on the groupchat on Facebook, and meet up about a major project. I even remember a time when I went back home early before traffic builds up, because I had to be online at about 6pm. No time to rest for a while upon arriving home. but on ? 

Reflection

This change in my routine was a trade-off, a sacrifice. Instead of commuting back home after lunch

and do schoolwork at home (as planned), I would go to the library or the shop the whole afternoon. Sometimes I would reach evening, and I reached home at around 7 to 9pm. Or when I would go home then out again to a shop, I returned home at around the same times. In fact, instead of having money saved for Christmas, I had to sacrifice it to accomplish necessary work online. It seems that everything’s online. 

A college student doing much research, paperwork, and group work, the World Wide Web was a necessary resource for finding and gathering information, producing outputs, and connecting and communicating with people.

Maybe I’m so late to state, but indeed times have changed. This is a time where the generation of people—I included—are living with the Internet as necessary as the radio in the 20th century or the cellphone at the present. It has become the primary means of connection and a source of information (aside from the library) these times. Internet has already been an essential for students!

It’s been considered a tremendous and valuable resource these days. It shouldn’t be ignored, however, that the library is also an essential for a student, especially in research. (I even consider it’s contents like treasures in a mine) Yet the sources of Internet are necessary to be integrated with whatever you find in a library, because the Internet has much recent material, be it articles, and even video and audio clips.

Unless anything else gets you busy, the Internet is even the stuff of the day, usually on rainy and stormy days. Isn't it good to be in the house during the typhoon, just to stay dry and safe? You even have the extra time to finish remaining loads of schoolwork. But now, without the Internet, living the day appears to be almost boring! And the day is almost lost in direction, unless you have come up with things to get you busy again. If there was only the zeal to read the book, or a station similar to UK’s BBC Radio 4...

Result

Apparently, I did miss the Internet very much. But I’m thankful that this sort of sacrifice I did for a large part of my 1st sem paid off. I passed and survived the sem, earning a harvest that I should be thankful for. Besides, it seems that at the end of every sem, what matters is that you’ve survived.

I was also glad the Internet was accessible again at the comforts of the home before the semester ended, just in time for the semester’s most pressing outputs I had to accomplish (and cram, sadly) with my classmates numerous kilometers away. The Internet provider was replaced, and I find the service efficient enough.

Sometimes we have to face such challenges. In these kind of circumstances we learn to make ways and take alternatives. It’s like the rats in a maze searching for cheese around the different parts of the maze when the cheese in one part was gone. Besides, it helps to take a break from the Net once in a while—even more than that.

The current challenge for me, now as I have been accessing the Internet, has been to manage the time and content I consume online. Why? Sometimes, going online gets you nowhere, letting time pass away without any productivity. Here is another struggle, and it is real.

You reader, have you ever had that experience of having to find Internet access away from home? How would you face a day (or more) without the Internet? I want to hear from you. 

10 Possible Careers as a Communication Arts Student (3/3)

Image credit: David Brent Johnson via Twitter

8. Producer/presenter of a jazz program in DZFE or Crossover

I’m so inspired by the American jazz-oriented program Nightlights that I would like to work for a jazz program or to simply play jazz music. I find it fulfilling to educate the musical taste of the Filipino and encourage him to listen to various genres, including jazz.


9. Work for a talk-oriented radio program

I’ve heard from a lot of those who discuss matters and share their opinions on both FM and AM. Among these radio personalities, I often listen to Ben Tulfo (example) and Joel Reyes Zobel. I find myself smiling when I listen to Sir Ben's program, but I also get understandable opinions.

I’m also inspired by Larry King, who, before having a program in CNN, became an overnight (graveyard shift!) talk show host on America’s Mutual Radio. On Larry's show, he interviewed a particular person; then  opens the line for his listeners to ask questions to the guest; then talk with his callers on just about anything.

Image credit: mitchalbom.com

Best-selling author Mitch Albom, in fact, also has his own talk show which airs in the afternoon in Detroit, Michgan, USA. I haven’t taken a listen his show yet, but I heard his past interview with Stephen King at his website (4th on his top 10 interviews).

There’s also the late Bob Grant who says his “unrehearsed” program in New York opens an exchange of ideas, and he gains much calls from his listeners.

Knowing things such as these, I’m fascinated by talk on radio. You get to hear ideas and opinions, you get the privilege to know what others think you have to know, and you also get to balance opposing views. In fact, the essential act of listening is being exercised, and the process of thinking is being valued.

I find it worthwhile just to work on those things.

Image credit: www.achievement.org

10. Broadcast journalist

To be honest, I do want to learn journalism, aside from communication. I’ve been into writing, why not be a journalist? But for now, considering that I have passed in CA rather than in journ. when I took my entrance exam, I’ll go on with CA. Besides, broadcast journalism is included in the course.

With regards to the topics, however, I’m more inclined to work under, or even be a correspondent on topics which are not much attended to in major newscasts both here and abroad. Such topics can be regularly found, again, from another program in the West—CBS Sunday Morning. It’s a weekend daytime program that covers topics not much covered by major news programs, such as theater, classical music, and literature—simply put, the arts.



If I were a print journalist, I would also like to write more about the arts; but in both broadcast and print, I’ll appreciate it too to write in the field of religion, transportation, education (academics, school life, etc.), and media.

10 Possible Careers as a Communication Arts Student (2/3)

 5. Simply put, a DJ

Image from: www.straitstimes.com

 Now here’s a primary prospect. I’ve been interested in radio, and I still am.

Mostly, among different formats, either it’s working for the jazz station (if ever, Crossover, more classical jazz please…); or for the classical station (I appreciate classical a lot, but it would take a long time for me to cultivate the flair); or the oldies or the alternative.

Either it’s at daytime (“Goooood Morning, Vietnam!”), or afternoon, or graveyard. In fact, graveyard shift is that which stuck on my mind for a long time, especially when I refused to sleep to get schoolwork done. I got used to being an owl since high school, that graveyard shift might be fit for me.

Don’t many start there? Don’t few occupy it? Why don’t I?


6. Speaking of graveyard, an anchor in the graveyard shift.

This reminds me of both NBC News Overnight in US and ITN Morning News in UK in the 80's.

The earlier’s concept has gained my high regards and great admiration. It’s a newscast that is radical and distinct in the 80s among other newscasts. It is one that is more conversational and more story-centered. It is deemed as the “most intelligent news program ever” by the awards jury of the duPont Columbia Awards at that time. More about this on my past blog post.

The later, meanwhile, is a result of the extended operations of ITV into the wee hours.

It’s like being an anchor on ANC from around 12-3am. 9TV can do with that as well, being a 24 hour news service.


7. Graphics designer/artist

These are what they call 'holding slides', ever present in British TV presentation. Image credits: tv-ark.org.uk

Television presentation involves graphics and visuals ever since. That’s what I have observed when I got to look into television history of UK, and even here in the Philippines. If you will look closely at the visual art made for programs and schedules (click the collages, if you may), you might possibly see how they were intricately made.

Local slides/cards around 70's-80's. Image credits: videos from some flagwavercharacter's YT videos and jadxx0223.deviantart.com

News graphics before computers did the job. Taken from YT videos from flagwavercharacter and sandiessss

Even in news programs, before computers took the role, artists creatively produced images and illustrations that would go along the news items. They are simple, but such simplicity is just fit for the news. Too much graphics, for me, usually looks like too much light.

If there were still anything like these that would necessitate a graphic artist, I would appreciate to learn about making them. And I like to revive nostalgia, even by means of new technology.

(To be concluded)

10 Possible Careers as a Communication Arts Student (1/3)

I haven’t written for this blog for a very long time. I was busy during the first semester of my first year in college, and finally I’m done with it. I’m currently taking up Communication Arts (CA), and for the past 4 months I’ve been learning a lot about this course. Despite times when my mind plays with doubts of belonging to this course, I’ve been appreciating what I’ve learned about communication, as well as mass media—it's forms, history, and growth.

Often, moments come when I think of what career I will have upon finishing CA. Many ideas come to my mind, both usual and odd. There are those that I caught from what I’ve learned from media history out of watching television archives and listening to foreign stations and old airchecks—all of them through the World Wide Web.

Here are those possible careers that come to my mind, and some of them are conceived and perceived as dreams

1. Continuity presenter on television

This is more than a voice-over. It is something more spontaneous, more creative, and more interesting (at least for me).

I got this idea from discovering how television broadcasting appeared in United Kingdom, especially around 60’s to early 90’s, thanks to the vast library of TV Ark. 

In UK, only three channels used to dominate the airwaves: BBC1 and BBC2, the public broadcasters, and Independent Television (ITV), the private/commercial broadcaster. In both channels, there is someone who serves as a “companion” or a “host” that guides viewers throughout the station’s broadcast until (before they started to operate 24 hours around the ‘80s) they close down, or sign-off.

On BBC, broadcasts are presided by live announcers. On every station of ITV for each region in the country, however, the presenter takes this role. Here are examples of what I mean:

What’s interesting here is that the presenter is not just heard, but also seen. He introduces the programs, as well as says the next airing of those programs. He says the schedule for the day, as well as birthday greetings. He greets you “Good Morning”, and he wishes you “Good Night”, and even reminds you to switch-off your TV set before you sleep (when the TV’s all black, before the signal finally goes out).

Since discovering this, I’ve been so amazed at how Brits broadcast on-air. For me, it looks cool. However, this style of broadcasting has gone away. Later on in the 90’s, the stations no longer have in-vision continuity, but voices remain doing the job.

2. Continuity announcer on TV

If ITV had presenters, BBC has announcers. They do the same thing ITV used to do, without the faces.

Here in my country, there are announcers too, but they exist in recorded plugs, brought-to-you-by’s, and broadcast notices.

Knowing that BBC take these jobs live fascinates me a lot. In fact, announcers don’t end the broadcast with any station notice (“This is…A commercial television station…”), but simply with tomorrow’s weather report, a bit of reminders, a bid of “Good Night”, and finally “God Save The Queen” (on BBC 1). What a friendly way of dealing with audiences…and telling them to sleep!

It also interested me that I spotted public broadcasters in US that did this as well in the 80’s, although only limited to plugs and station IDs. I’m not so sure whether they announce on-air or pre-taped, though.

Credit: bbc.co.uk

3. Continuity announcer on radio

I got this idea when I started listening to WDCB, a public radio station in the Chicago area playing jazz and blues. The continuity announcer’s job there, as I’ve observed, are mentioning the schedule of programs (“…Monday nights at 8”, for example) and telling the donors/supporters of the station (“Support for WDCB comes from…”).

This work is much more evident when you listen to UK's BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra. The announcer does the same thing as those on BBC1 or BBC2 do. Wow, this tradition continues on BBC, both on TV and radio.

4. Newsreader in an FM station

Only few do newsreading live and local on FM, nowadays. One of them is government-operated DWBR 104.3, where the news is simply delivered on top-of-the-hour, without any almost-distracting sound effects or background music. Like this one:

I also got inspired, again, from listening to public radio and old airchecks (here's an example) I’ve heard from YouTube. 

Here is this dream to read the news either on the classical music station (that would’ve been an achievement!), or the alternative music station. Or I’ll perhaps settle on the oldies station’s news every 55 minutes past the hour (although not always like that) or on DWBR’s top-of-the-hours.

Is it still costly to have a segment like this on FM?, I wonder.

(To be continued)