Every now and then it hits me how weird it is that we can do this.

Hello and welcome to Yet Another Friday,

Congratulations folks, the fact that you're reading this means that not only have you survived another week, it also means you still have internet access via personal or public networks! Isn't that great? We live in an age where instant communication is almost universal and incredibly cheap. It means that you can instantly communicate people across the world regardless of geo-political borders! The dream of thousands of scientists and explores has been realized. That's right, you can communicate with pretty much anyone, anytime, anywhere. Provided they have internet access of one sort or another You could quite easily send messages to people in Ukraine or Moldova or the Philippines. But you don't, because you don't know anyone there.

Kind of ironic?

Yes.

But not particularly surprising. Why would you know anyone in Moldova? It's not like you've ever been there. Heck, you don't even speak Moldovan. While email does transcend language barriers, you for the most part don't.

So what does it mean, the fact that physical limitations on message sending is nigh-negligent? Well, it means we get to hear from one another, get news faster, do business easier, etc. I can (and inadvertently did) order used textbooks from Thailand, and have them shipped off in less time than it would take for me to persuade someone to drive me to Wal-mart. I repeat: It's easier for me to buy statistics books from THAILAND than it is to get to the nearest large grocery store.

What does that mean?

I frankly have no idea. The implications are too big, too far-reaching for me to condense them into a casual analysis. The cultural, economic, political implications of the technological age are astounding. I'm the first to admit I really don't understand its full consequences. But I will say this, the repercussions of the power of instant communication are complex, with many advantages and disadvantages.

But in the end, it's pretty freaking cool.