Reveries of the Connected World I/II

The Internet gave us access to everything; but it also gave everything access to us.

James Veitch

The Early Days

It is common knowledge that ARPANET, the predecessor of the modern internet, was a advance research and development project carried by the military. The machine that was the first node in the ARPANET is well preserved at 3420 Boelter Hall, UCLA. Unlike most electronic devices we see around, that machine is enclosed in a steel cabinet, locked with a turning gear mechanism, and only its bare essential controls are exposed. My first thought at watching that machine in the documentary "Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World" is that the deepest insecurities regarding survival arising out of their brisk rise from an insignificant mammal to the most intelligent species on the plant has made humas fiercely protective of anything we consider highly valuable at present or in future despite the absence of any indication of threats to it.

The Glory of the Net

It is easy to be misled into thinking that the internet is only aiding multinational corporations in minting dollar bills, or assisting knave politicians manipulate their way to power, or providing fertile grounds for technology based warfare among powerful nation states. However, the internet has truly and deeply enhanced the abstract reality we live in. It has not only drawn the best of the minds towards it, but also made possible exchange of ideas among disciplines that have so less in common among them. The internet is the one single thing that kept the economies ruining during the pandemic. It has catalyzed new ways of solving problems, new perspective on already existing knowledge, and of course made life much easier.

The Dark Side

The internes is a manifestation of the antichrist, the sprit of evil, believes mother of a deceased teenager girl the pictures of whose death in a gruesome accident went viral over social media. The intern unfortunately panders to all kinds of urges, the curiosity for good, the thrill of pulling a heist on a bank or a public IT infrastructure, the inebriation of power on bullying online, the fun of trolling and meming anyone who holds opinions different to yours, the list goes on. Excess time spent on social media has been associated with mental health issues especially in teenagers. Moreover, internet had surely played a part in multiple religious, political, and racial conflicts amounting to widespread violence and loss of life and property across the globe. Radiation emanating form IT infrastructures has been associated with occurrence so cancer and other illnesses. The mass production of electronic devices is having a tremendous pernicious effect on the planet including depletion of natural resources, destruction of ecosystems, and climate change.

The End of the Net

The internet is susceptible to strong solar winds or flares that could handicap the many equipment on earth and orbiting around it. Although, the strong solar flare of the kind that would destroy the internet would also wreak havoc on the planet and much of life on it.

?The Earthly Invaders

Most self-taught hackers start their career by hacking into either a public IT infrastructure or some insecure financial or law enforcement service IT infrastructure. Cyber security remains the most neglected aspect of IT infrastructures. Not just the software, most of which is written by coders who are not even aware of the fundamentals of writing a safe code, even the drivers and BIOS that run most devices are easily hackable. The line between the physical and the online life has become blur. The worst thing a cyber attacks can do is not bring down a financial or health or telecommunication infrastructure, but manipulate it to cause total chaos.