Being a novice of the Internet and realms of technology in general, the idea of hanging out in an Internet caf scared me about as much as it used to when I first sat in front a computer trying to figure out how to turn the thing on. Pictures of super-obese, nerdy, snotty-nosed tech-heads filled my head as well as visions of stagnant, sterile rooms crammed with blue screens flashing the latest comic heroes and teen idols. Well, I just went on a trip to several countries around the world and I ventured into this unknown sector, as I wanted to keep in touch with people back home. Although I admittedly didnt visit many of these cafes (I needed a break from the computer worlds of school and work), the few I did see were quite different from what I expected.
First stop was a caf in Prague, Czech Republic. This was hidden down an alley but was next to restaurant so it seemed safe enough. I paid the equivalent of just over $1.00 U.S. for a half hour on the machine-not too bad eh? Now I dont know if I was attacked by an evil spirit or just had something with my brain that day, but for some reason it took 25 minutes to just get into my hotmail! First of all, the keyboard was different, and in weird ways I tell you. If you hit the Y key it came out as a Z and vice versa. I was surprised later in London that their keyboard was also different from the ones back home. I thought keyboards were universally the same around the planet! I finally got into my hotmail, sent a one sentence email and left. Looking around me as I departed I saw that most of the people using computers were so-called normal folks like myself, mainly backpackers and tourists, but also businessmen etc. If I had more patience that day it probably would have been a nice atmosphere to be part of, I saw that they served coffee and tea, but as I was in a beautiful foreign place I needed to get out under the Sun amidst the real action.
My other main experience in the public Internet world was to be in the North of London in a suburb called Neesdon or Sneezdon as the Aussie mates I met up with liked to call it. Here, the Caf was totally different from the previous one and I assume I dont like to assume-that like people, each caf is an individual entity with both positive and negative traits as well as bonuses and letdowns. This caf was in the back of a mobile (cellular) phone shop and was just a tiny room with a handful of computers that no one else seemed to be interested in, everyone looked more focused on phones, but I have a weird feeling they might have been dealing something else under the counter that was sparking hot interest.
We paid 1 pound (approx. $1.75U.S.) for an hour. Three of us walked in and we sat down at two computers, I think this was probably disallowed but again no one was paying any attention to us. My friend said he had been to this particular caf a few times previously as he was living in the area for a year, and had seen and experienced some undesirable situations. One day he believes he saw a cannabis deal go down, and on another occasion a drunken man came in and told him he didnt like the look of him and would he go outside for a fight? The confrontation dissipated with the use of calm communication but you can imagine that this type of Internet caf would be rated poorly on a world standard. So, beware where you enter the virtual world my friends, reality may just arrive to smash you in the face!
In the end, I think like all things in life these Internet cafes need to be approached with optimism and hope, as one never truly knows what there is to offer in a new experience. I imagine that there is a multitude of different types of cafes-some you may even deem as cool places to gravitate. If strange and twisted is what you look for, or a common normality, I believe both can be found in the cafes of the future.
By Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a weird and twisted Internet writer who hopes to show others that the Internet is becoming a daily reality for many humans, so dive in!
10 things to do in .Clarke County, VA
Enter the gateway to the Shenandoah Valley and Step back into Berryville, VA a Brigadoon 1950ish town -- Berryville, playground of the horsey set, ladies and gentlemen abound -- it's no wonder that Clarke County, in the Shenandoah Valley Virginia about 55 minuets west of D.C., is truly the gentrys hidden secret and a large diamond to be found by the true elite traveler. From Revolution war hero Daniel Morgans Plantation Saratoga and other King Carter legacy of beautiful plantations, historic mills and chapels, Civil war battles by General Early at Cool Spring to award winning winery, 5 star restaurant and those humbling Blue Ridge views. Here are ten ideas to fill a BVille weekend. For more, contact Veramar Vineyard at 540-955-5510 or www.veramar.com
1 Bears Den - Start at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains Route 7, Byrd Highway and 601 at Bears Den with a short hike up the hill to look in the great Shenandoah Valley that is Clarke County and beyond. Nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains, overlooking the Shenandoah Valley, lies historical Bears Den Lodge. Once a summer home for Washington physician Huron Lawson and his wife, opera singer, Francesca Kaspar, Bears Den is an enchanting stone lodge reminiscent of a European castle. Built in 1933 by local stonemasons, this 20-bed hostel is complete with turrets and tower. Once used as Francesca's recital hall, a magnificent stone fireplace graces the large common room.
2 Veramar Vineyard - Take route 7, Byrd Highway, west over the mountain and a crossed the river and turn Left on Rt 612, Quarry Road to 905 Veramar Vineyard. Sit on Veramars Fountain Courtyard; drink in the views and the wine of your choice. Veramar Vineyard is situated on a private 100-acre estate in the heart of Virginia hunt county, less than one hour from the Washington D.C., at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains along the Shenandoah River. A small, family-run vineyard dedicated to producing naturally dry, full-bodied wines. www.veramar.com
3 Historic Downtown Berryville - Leave Veramar Vineyard continue on Route 7 west to 7 business via Downtown Berryville to Rose Hill Park and sit on the park benches for a snack or lunch while viewing the colorful trees in town. Berryville's downtown is characterized by a sense of community shared by its many proprietors. Walk along Main Street and do your banking, get a haircut, pick up the local newspaper, grab a delicious lunch, and take home a bouquet of flowers...all while enjoying the friendly hometown atmosphere. Next at the center of Berryville, turn south on route 340 Lord Fairfax Highway continue to route 255, Bishop Mead Highway, to a Historic Stone Chapel.
4 Carter Hall Project Hope - On toward Millwood, and the stunning foliage at Carter Hall home of Project Hope, as you approach Millwood. Since the late 1970s, Project HOPE has been headquartered on the grounds of what was once the Carter Hall plantation, now comprised of over 200 acres of beautiful countryside in the small town of Millwood, Virginia. Though the property is the site of HOPEs day-to-day business activities, it is also a treasured, historic landmark of 18th century America, consisting of a manor home built in 1792 and its dependencies.
5 The Burwell-Morgan Mill - Moving in to Millwood . The Burwell-Morgan Mill, established in 1785, is the oldest operable merchant mill in the Shenandoah Valley. In the mid-nineteenth century the mill operated twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, processing more than sixty thousand bushels of wheat per year. The community of Millwood grew around this commercial center as related businesses were established, and by way of the seaports at Alexandria and Baltimore, mill products were shipped abroad.
6 Historic Long Branch - Continue on route 255, Bishop Mead Highway, Cross over route 50, Highway continue to Route 624, Red Gate Road and proceed 1/2 mile to Long Branch Lane at Historic Long Branch. Long Branch was built around 1805 by Robert Carter Burwell, a member of a group of descendants of Tidewater tobacco planters who moved to the Shenandoah Valley at the end of the eighteenth century. Settling on land granted to them in 1730 by an ancestor, Robert 'King Carter, they built large and well-appointed houses and raised tobacco and wheat with slave labor. This new plantation society revolved around the village of Millwood, with its store, blacksmith's shop and gristmill. At Long Branch for more than six decades, Sheila Macqueen has possessed a passion for flowers - - and more importantly, she has been able to teach and inspire others to appreciate and utilize flowers to beautify homes, inside and out, around the world. In an effort to honor Mrs. Macqueen's remarkable contributions to the field of horticulture and flower arranging, her legion of fans have banded together to install a permanent tribute at Long Branch - - the only living tribute to Sheila Macqneen that has ever been created
7 State Arboretum of Virginia At Blandy Experimental Farm - Return down Long Branch Lane and Red Gate road to Route 50. Turn left West on Route 50 to Next on to State Arboretum of Virginia. At Blandy Experimental Farm about a mile on your left. The 170-acre State Arboretum of Virginia is part of the 700-acre Blandy Experimental Farm. Graham Blandy left the property to the University of Virginia in 1926, stipulating that it be named Blandy Experimental Farm and that it be used o teach boys about farming. Orland E. White was hired in 1927 as the first director of Blandy Experimental Farm. Upon his retirement in 1955, the property was named the Orland E. White Arboretum. Today, Blandy Experimental Farm is a research facility for UVA, and women as well as men learn about environmental science. Graduate and undergraduate students stay in the Quarters and assist faculty with ongoing research into habitat fragmentation, small mammal population dynamics, insect herbivory, and plant pollination systems.
8 L'Auberge Provenale - Travel west on route 50 about one mike, turn left on 340 south toward White Post. Discover the feeling of a true inn of the South of France, at L'Auberge Provenale in White Post, Virginia. While at 5 star restaurant and Inn L'Auberge Provenale, travel the backroads of beautiful Clarke County, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley framed by the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains. Enjoy Visiting Vineyards like Veramar Vineyard in Clarke County or antiquing, horseback riding, hiking, biking, golfing, canoeing, or ballooning, or simply wile away the day on a spacious porch with a glass of wine, enjoying the simpler pleasures: respite from the otherwise hectic world.
9 Holly Cross Abbey Turn north on route 340 back toward Berryville. Continue on route 340 Lord Fairfax Highway back to Berryville. At Route 7 turn right heading back east past Veramar Vineyard. Before you cross Smiley Bridge at the Shenandoah River, turn left on Route 603 (Castleman's Rd) to 901 Cool Spring Lane. Holy Cross Abbey is a monastery of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance (Trappists) sheltered by the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Cistercians dedicate their lives to seeking God according to the sixth-century Rule of Saint Benedict, living the vows of obedience, stability, and conversion of life in the monastic School for the Lord's Service. Take a Fruit Cake with you. Fruitcake from the Trappist Monks for those who appreciate quality products, made from an old fashioned recipe, using choice fruits and nut meats in a brandy-laced batter.
10 Virginia National Golf Club - Back to route 7, cross the bridge and turn left on private entrance 1400 Parker Lane to gulf course. The property has it allincredible mountain scenery, wildlife, the river, and a pretty nice golf course. Virginia National Golf Club at the Battleground of Cool Springs is one of Virginia's premier golf courses. This extraordinary course is set between the scenic Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Its three miles of unobstructed river vistas and great golf.
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