I had an idea last night.

[gridlore]

As everyone knows, we are fast approaching the first anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Everyone is discussing how the best memorialize the event, and the people lost. Here's my two cents.

A day of silence on the Internet. For one calendar day, starting at 0001 11 SEP 02, your local time, stop posting, emailing, surfing whatever. A global day of silence moving around the world. I realize that this would be impossible for those in business who rely on the net, but I think it would be a powerful statement. I remember on that day the messages on the Traveller Mailing List to our NYC members asking "are you ok?" And I know the terrible silence when one person never replies to those calls.

So for one day, stay off the net. It will survive. talk on the phone, go for a walk, or just remember how much we all lost on the terrible day, one year ago.

Comments

[opals.livejournal.com]

I think it's a good idea. But as figmo said, this is -my- livelihood. What I can do is eliminate the personal communications. But as another user said, it's a day when I'd like to be in touch with my loved ones and the way I do that is on the internet. The people I know that were most affected by 9-11 are thousands of miles away from me.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. In fact, I had just flown back from a combination Worldcon/parental maintenance trip on the east coast the day before. That could have been me on one of those planes.

Needless to say, the thought of isolating myself on that day totally freaks me out to begin with.

I'd like to do something, but not using the Internet seems to be the wrong way to go. It's not a fun-toy for me; it's work. I do LJ to warm up my writing, then do the real writing for work. I use AIM to communicate with my boss and with contractors in North Dakota. I use IRC to communicate with friends who help me with various aspects of my work and with folks I need to contact re: nonprofit activities.

If folks really want to do something noticeable, we should all flush toilets at the minutes the first and second plane hit to symbolize all those lives that went down the drain. Why? If everyone does it at once, the water table drops visibly at that time.