Google That

What did we do before the internet? Guess we went to the library and used dictionaries and the thesaurus. Remember phone books? Gone forever. The internet is great, but I do miss hunkering down in the library to do research. Remember begging your parents for the car so you could go to the library to do research? Research means meeting girlfriends, or even boyfriends, for a cherry Coke and fries. Ah, the good old days.

It's amazing how our lives have changed. Many of us remember thumping away on what then seemed the heavy, sticky keys of a Smith Corona typewriter. Oops, a mistake. Where is the Wite-Out? We have come a long way. Now, our fingers skip rapidly across the light, plastic keyboards of our computers. There are even apps that edit. There is also AI, the newest option on the internet. It is scary, but here to stay.

Computers and easy access to information have forever changed our lives. There is more information available than any one person could ever want, let alone use. We are information seekers, and computers give us instant gratification. If you can't remember something, there is always Google to help you instantly track it down.

Stop and think about what those dancing fingers of yours can do online. If traveling, you can book airplane tickets, rental cars, and hotels right on your computer. Need a map? Type in where you plan to start and where you want to end. Presto — you have instant, detailed directions, complete with mileage and estimated time of arrival. There is even a companion voice telling you when to turn.

Not feeling well? Are you worried about a diagnosis? Most of us have found Dr. Google. Just type in your disease or complaint, and soon you will see full-color pictures of parts of your body (better not seen) and graphic descriptions of whatever ails you. On a recent visit to an urgent care clinic on the island, a patient doctor listened to the diagnosis I had found on the internet. "I'm always the second opinion," he said, chuckling. He suggested that online advice could be helpful, but there is nothing like a real doctor.

Do you like to shop? You can buy just about anything on the web. Like auctions? You can get into bidding wars on eBay. Forget a birthday or anniversary? No problem. With a few clicks, you can have cards, flowers, candy, or cookies sent.

Weather panic? You begin to hear the "H" (hurricane) word once too often and want to know the real story. Just go to the National Weather Service website, and you can see exactly where the evil green blobs that turn into coast-threatening hurricanes are — in real time.

We can even balance our checkbooks, pay our bills, and trade stock online. Sports fans can get real-time information about their teams. The various teams and leagues maintain websites full of information — schedules, player profiles, and event results. Unfortunately, this opens Pandora's box of sports betting, a growing cultural issue.

Here I am in my senior years, surfing the web. Just like a real surfboard — it takes getting used to. You have to stick to it, not mind getting wet, and look out for the unexpected.