Al Gore Day

The new modem for the computer arrived yesterday which meant that our old modem once again picked up a signal. Jerry, my modem installer, talked it over with his friends and decided that he didn't need to bother with the new modem as long as the old one worked. Which was until he went to bed last night.
I bet Al Gore didn't realize, back when he was Senator Gore fighting for tax funding to build an infrastructure that would connect computers around the world, what he was creating.
I didn't notice over the years how much I rely on the internet. Decades ago, a computer program offered to store favorite recipes. Now, it is more convenient to check the internet than go through old files. If I'm curious about a stray reference like the Indian Festival of Lights, I don't even have to know how to spell it. Does a friend mention a rumor that sounds unbelievable? The internet has a place where those are fact checked. It seems that some chicken jerky dog treats will make your dog sick.
Most of my online time involves social networking games. I play a word game daily with a friend I haven't seen since high school. I play a virtual reality game that gives me neighbors from all over the world to chat with. This is the best of both worlds, being able to concentrate on a game and have friendly table talk.
Jerry will resuscitate our computers from mindless, blinking, humming power eaters back to the intelligent creatures that the internet has evolved them into. Being without that for the last week reminds me that Al Gore has not received half the credit he deserves.
Rather than wait for history to catch up, I've decided to create my own Al Gore Day. Henceforth, an annual celebration will bear his name, and I will once again marvel at how he, like other great innovators, has changed life as we know it.
Nancy Sherer