So I wake up early.I’ve been trying for years now to learn to sleep in a bit.Somehow my body got to thinking the outrageous commute schedule to New York City was normal and I can’t convince it otherwise.That means my most productive time comes before others awake.It also seems to be the time favored by internet service providers to take their systems offline for a while.You see, like any system the internet needs down time.I slept in until 3:30 this morning and awoke to find internet access unavailable.I use it during my writing, looking up answers to questions which both my fiction and non raise.When the internet’s out there’s little I can do, but I’m already awake.Society prefers conformists, but some of us maybe hear a different beat on our march.
The fact is we expect constant connectivity.Many of us pay a significant monthly amount to ensure that we have it, but this is no guarantee.Calling your local service provider at 4 a.m. on a Saturday (I’ve done this) is like dealing with IT at work: they really have no clue what’s wrong but they can talk technical to you, if that makes you feel good.After all, it’s in the middle of the night.So I try to decide on something else to do.Reading works.Books, however, often lead me to want to look something up.But the internet’s down, at least around here.We are utterly beholden to the tech industry that can (and does) wink out from time to time.When the robot uprising occurs we just need to wait for the service maintenance hour.
I reboot my router.It’s the first course of action when the internet’s out.I think I’ll check out a personal hotspot, but to do that I need the internet.It’s a great, constant feedback loop.I suspect I’m not the only early riser who faces the internet dearth in the wee hours.I know I’m overpaying because my data (whatever that is) plan on my phone always shows a monthly surplus.When it comes to the techies, you just nod your head and pay your bill.I do wonder what’s happening in the wider world.Without the net you feel especially isolated in pandemic times.It’s Saturday morning and the internet’s unavailable.Back in my teaching days I know just what I’d be doing.Instead I’m waiting for technology to catch up.