In the early 1990s, Jack Hicks was among the first of his friends to go online. He was also one of the first library bosses in the Chicago area to provide free public Internet access.
Now Jack, 69 and retired, is the first person he knows to have pulled the Web wire on his own home computer. “Mainly, it’s a time-waster. And there’s so little time. Why waste it?” asked the former Deerfield Public Library executive director.
“In retirement, I’m interested in real life, not an imitation of life.” Pioneer local has the story.
alternate headline
Area Librarian Sees Own Mortality, Becomes Huge Bummer
alternate alt. headline
Area Librarian Sees Own Mortality, Makes Choice
I don’t have Internet at home, although I can steal the wireless from the church next door if it’s on, and my girlfriend just dropped her DSL, although it took a LONG time on the phone with Qwest (four people, including the Loyalty Department; they dropped to 14.95/mo but still she said no). Are we disconnected? No. We go to the library for the brief connect time we really need. Of course it can be a time-waster and a distraction. It’s like the potato chips or ice cream you’ll eat if it’s around, so you don’t buy it. I went to a cafe this morning, wrote a letter to a friend (I have one such correspondent left), and visited with local friends who came and went. It’s a choice. Life is short, make your own.