Internet Addiction - Learn How To Connect Without Wireless Connections

Instant messaging, text messaging, email, blogs, vlogs, and podcasts. With technology moving faster than a T1 connection, every day brings another way to keep in touch without actually having to show up in person.

What started as a fun pastime has turned into a modern-day obsession unlike any other. It seems that the more connected we are, the more disconnected we become. Because of the obsession, people have become more overweight and relationships of every kind have disintegrated under the spell of computer games and chat rooms.

In addition, people of all ages are developing at a staggering rate:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Computer Vision Syndrome
• Back problems
• Financial problems
• Circulation problems
• And more

No longer are real communities connected. Instead, people choose to connect to online communities and have virtual friends and romantic "relationships" instead of face-to-face contact.

People hide behind their "defenses" (computers, cell phones, etc.) making their own version of a "real connection" with computer games that allow users to build and have a "relationship" with their idea of a perfect family or mate. Couples often jump faster into bed with their laptop than they do their partner.

How can we change the world we live in and start reconnecting with reality when we are so disconnected? Like any other addiction, the only way to conquer it is to take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Here are a few helpful suggestions to help you start on the path of reconnection without technology:

• If you have family and friends that are far away, why not send them a real letter? Stamps are available at that place called the Post Office.
• Have a conversation in the flesh with someone that does not involve hardware or software as an intervening third party. Walk to a friend or family members home and have a dialogue without email or texting. If you find that your verbal skills have become rusty, write a script of casual topics of discussion with questions like:
  • What did you do today?
  • How is your family?
  • How was school / work?
  • Ask general questions to get the conversation started and listen to what the other person has to say. If you really listen, you will be able to pick up additional questions you can ask along the way.
• Parents, just say no. When did the word no become such an evil word? You are not abusing or depriving your child by using it. Disconnect the computer and safeguard your children. If they need to research a paper for school, take them down to the library or help them with their research on the Internet. You can then monitor what they view and do online. When the work is done, disconnect and remove the computer when you aren't around. Get your children involved in life so computers don't become their life.
• Stop playing computer games and get back into some of the classic board games such as Life, Monopoly, Yahtzee and other games.
• Restless and bored? Go to a park and fly a kite. Head to the beach and take a picnic with you. The point is to get outside and start moving.
• If you're addicted to chat rooms, why not start a face-to-face chat room in your own home. Set up a theme night and invite family and friends over to partake in a real life chat room. No hardware, software, cell phones or wireless connections allowed.

  If some of your guests become antsy about not using their cell phones, remind them that you have a landline they can use.

• If most of your relationships live on the Internet, join a local social or sports club or become involved in a local charity. Learning to socialize in new ways can be fun.

These are just a few steps to help you get back into the game of life and away from meaningless connections.

The Internet, computers, wireless connections, cell phones, iPod's, etc. are useful and can make life a lot easier and fun.

Technology is not the enemy; it's the uncontrolled use of technology that's ruining our society and our relationships.

Jaci Rae's grit and determination have brought her from an impoverished childhood to a career as an award-winning singer, No. 1 best-selling author and entrepreneur who has toured around the world. Jaci shares her down-to-earth advice as the relationship advisor/expert/dating coach for igniteromance.com, savvymiss.com, lovingyou.com, loveisgreat.com and lsinglescafe.net

She is the author of The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money, as well as Winning Points With The Woman In Your Life One Touchdown At A Time, Shop for a Day with Jaci Rae How to Get Almost Anything for Free (not published yet) and Collista's Search for the True Meaning of Christmas (not published yet).

Jaci spends her spare time working on her music, writing and hanging out with family and friends. For more information, go to http://www.christmaswithlove.com http://www.shopforaday.com or http://www.jacirae.com

About.com Dating Guide lists Jaci's book, Winning Points With The Woman In Your Life One Touchdown At A Time in the top six of all time dating / relationship books.

Broadband - Going Underground

Experts have warned that the speed of Britain's broadband is falling way behind that of our European neighbours.

With high-speed internet access becoming more and more of a necessity, we are running the risk of future internet developments accelerating away from what our aging UK networks can cope with.

Britain's broadband is delivered to the majority of users via twisted-pair telephone lines. This broadband technology depends upon advanced digital signal processing and creative algorithms to compress data. This new technology is relying on the old technology of the UK's aging phone networks to deliver the service and cracks are now beginning to show.

Broadband customers are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with the speeds they are receiving; this has not been helped by ISP's luring customers in with promises of cheap broadband with speeds of "up to" 8Mbps. The reality is that few will be able to achieve even half this speed.

There are too many factors that can affect the quality of broadband speeds via the telephone line to ever make it a reliable service. These include:

How close you are to the exchange (the closer you are then the faster your connection)

The amount of people being served by your local exchange

The length and gauge of the line from the exchange

Electromagnetic noise from other lines. So basically, this can mean the quality of the wiring within your own house.

The quality of the modem you use

It's obvious that we need a new way of delivering broadband to the users if we are ever going to keep up with the rest of the world.

Fibre optics is the way forward, but laying fibre cables to every house in the UK is impractical and expensive.

A solution to the problem could lie in using 360,000 miles of pipelines that are already under our feet. The sewage systems!

A company called H20 Networks has already provided super fast broadband to Universities in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Bournemouth via their sewage systems. They are enjoying high-speed fibre connections that provide speeds of up to 20Gbps!

It's a cost effective and quick solution to what would be an expensive and time consuming problem. With Japan and Paris already using sewer-based fibre networks, it looks likely that Britain will be forced to follow suit. For the millions of internet users who are already beginning to get impatient with their service providers false promises, this can't come soon enough.

One search to compare UK broadband internet providers.

For more information on broadband and for great deals on cheap broadband visit moneysupermarket.com