It has now been four whole days since I last had an internet connection. We are staying with a friend in Nashville, Tennessee who is not networked or wified and whilst I have been generously offered the use of the PC of the house with it’s cable connection, it would somehow seem (to me anyway) a tad invasive.

What I do realise, is just how dependant I have become on the web.

It is where I now go first to get my news. It is where I go for my weather forecast. It is where I look for in-depth analysis because, if nothing else, I can quickly switch between sources for spin comparisons and I don’t get my fingers grubby with newsprint but, more importantly, I don’t have to buy half a dozen newspapers, many of them foreign.

It is the favoured means for communicating with family and friends. In fact, the last time I attempted a hand-written letter, I cramped up and my handwriting quickly became illegible. After four days, who knows what interesting items might be sitting in my inbox along with the four days worth of offers to enlarge my penis and see what country girls can get up to in the farmyard.

Today is Monday and my next opportunity to plug my Powerbook back into the outside world will be Thursday evening. That’s another four days. Will this feeling of unease at being cut off have turned into full blown cold turkey by then I wonder.