Reflections of a ModemJunkie by Leonard Grossman A strange thing happened this week. In fact it happened three times in a row. I came home from work and didn't rush up to my study and check for E-mail. Now, I don't want you to think I've never done that before. I spent five days on the Isle of Jersey a few years ago and didn't log on once. And I didn't check my mail while I was camping in Door County with my brother last summer, either. But this was at home. I just didn't log on. Don't get me wrong. I did check my mail the next morning. And I haven't given up midnight sessions on the Web. But it is a change in my habits. I came home and just didn't feel like logging on. Now that's happened before. But in the past, like an alcoholic, I logged on whether I felt like it or not. Does this mean I am getting control of this habit. I hope so. This electronic world is exciting but I was beginning to feel it controlled me. Now I am regaining the feeling of at least some choice. If that is true, it can become a real tool and not a master to which I am slave. Sessions at the keyboard will regain some joy which I fear had been lost. I am writing this on April 2, the day we set our clocks forward. The day all of my relatives were wakened early in the morning by phone calls from a well-meaning friend who wanted to know if they had seen Jim Coates' article in the Sunday Trib. Today he published the third installment in his excellent series on the Internet. What made it special to my Mother was the subject of this installment-- her son on the internet. It is rare that I have been accused of knowing exactly what I was doing, but that's what Coates said [blush]. Which brings me to another subject. E-mail is too easy. Its too easy to send a message without thinking it over-- without time for reflection. Even though the Coates article was totally flattering and my ego was bursting, I found it necessary to send him a quick note quibbling with a minor point. As soon as I had done that I realized that under the circumstances that was quite ungracious. I wished there was a way to recall an e-mail message like you can cancel a posting in a Usenet Newsgroup. But I didn't know hwo and my attempt to clear up the point was more of a muddle. Because I couldn't wait to send that either. Flame wars are common on the net because of this. But even more important, we have lost a certain precision and clarity in thought and expression. Again-- how to slow down? How to take control of this medium. I'm working on it. In fact I'm going to wait a while before I upload this. Just in case I have second thoughts. leonard.grossman@mcs.com Copyright Leonard Grossman