On Tuesday, October 7th, 2009, students and faculty were unable to log in to university computers or access the internet on any computers connected to the IU network. According to an inside source who prefers to remain anonymous, this was caused by a faulty wireless access point that was continually requesting IP Addresses (the unique numerical address that are assigned to each computer on a network), but not releasing them to computers connected to the access point. This access point quickly took all available IP addresses on the IU network, causing a chain reaction that took down most services on the network.This event underscored the importance of Internet access in a modern university, especially IU, where the Internet is needed to do most coursework. For example, I was unable to complete a reading assignment in a physical text because the assigned pages were located on the internet.
Even though I had assignments that could be completed offline, I found myself constantly trying to log in to my computer and other university computers during the outage; I felt lost without an Internet connection, even for a few hours. It amazes me to think that there was ever a time without ubiquitous Internet access. The Internet is an extremely large part of my life, and my collegiate experience would be fundamentally different without it.
It is also amazing that it is so natural now to look up information online or complete an assignment on Oncourse (IU's course management system) that we don't even notice how much we are using the Internet until it stops working.
With this being said, I would like to ask my readers: Have you ever experienced an Internet outage like the one at Indiana University Bloomington yesterday? Did it make you notice how much you use the Internet without even noticing it? Please leave your responses below.
Wow that is reassuring to know what caused it. It definitely was annoying with it down, and your right it did show the dependence we have on the Internet
ReplyDeleteYea I go completely nuts when I don't have access to the web. Its almost my entire life. If I didn't require sleep that is what I would be doing all night long. Its nice to hear they figured out what was causing the internet problem. Hopefully this won't continue in the future.
ReplyDeleteKNOCK ON WOOD!!!
Perhaps totally relaxing will come to mean going to a place where there is no internet or where one finds different and exciting things to do which make staying connected counterproductive - like bike rides in the country, white water rafting, mountain climbing, or even meditating or doing yoga. Close your eyes and imagine a warm wonderful place with no internet!
ReplyDeleteInteresting point, although I actually find myself the most relaxed when I am fully immersed into media, such as when texting, chatting with friends on Facebook, and listening to music at the same time. Perhaps a generational gap?
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