I was just thinking about how like, from ages 10-12 my entire internet experience consisted of typing "cheat codes" into search engines and AOL keywords and shit. I had to find all the cheat codes. I would write them on paper and I don't even remember how I could have spent the amount of time I did on that. I didn't know how to use the internet or even what it was though so it's ok. I also played doom once at that age and I was blown away. It's just weird that it seems like IMMEDIATELY after that I was cruising sites and d/ling napster and playing warcraft 2 all.the.time. I could get like 3 songs each day.

I also never had a game genie, and I imagine I would have felt 100% like a hacker if I had ever gotten one. When I discovered the game genie portion of zsnes I think I let out a maniacal laugh in real life (because I was a fuckin idiot you see). I got a copy of the anarchist cookbook from some kid at school and he was like super secretive about it and we had to go behind a building or something and he like tossed the floppy disk from inside his backpack into mine while I was holding it open. It was ridiculous. But yeah like a couple months later there was google and there are a billion copies everywhere.

I also just remembered that like, when I was probably i dunno under 10, before Google was ever released my family was playing some game about words or something, and I remember specifically the word "googol" came up and like, nobody knew what it was and we looked it up somehow and it was "one followed by a hundred zeroes" and I thought it was really cool. But so then I had this word "googol" in my head for a very long time, then this website Google happened and

I just checked and google was out like 96-98-ish, and I for sure first went there like in 2000-01, so it had been around a while (just making it clear i'm not like I THOUGHT OF IT FIRST or anything magical or dumb) but I definitely discovered it randomly, in "computer class" and it was like some claswork assignment like "Utilize the World Wide Web (internet) to fill in the blanks! *bunch of random crap*" and I happened upon it.

I don't even have a real point just that I knew about the word "googol" (the real/original? definition) before everyone else. I knew the word! I'm better than you!

edit; oh and yeah reminiscing. i turned 26 last week or so and I guess the farther you get from when you were an idiot you can really look fondly on it. Like my idiot-ness from high-school and prior is awesome and hilarious to me, but that period between 18-NOW is just... sad. ok not sad, especially the last couple months i've been
1) reading shitloads
1a) of philosophy too
2) learning piano and playing it lots
3) just bought myself a very nice electric piano
4) have some plans for the next 2-3 years and that is OK.
5) also savings account is getting good

I didn't know you lived in Israel. I've been following j14, it's amazing to see. It's also having some serious identity issues, with people trying to include the Palestinian issue into the equation and others trying vehemently to prevent that for fear the movement will be branded as "leftist". From what I've seen, it's still growing and the public is overwhelmingly behind it. Are you taking part in it too?

I used to live in israel, I just came back to work an internship over the summer. And yes over the past few weeks i've seen almost any protestable topic thrown into the mix somewhere but in general most people are supporting lowering prices on housing/other things (cottage cheese). there's a lot of palestinian plight and tons of socialist/working class graffiti, posters and signs. mostly it's crazy how large it has gotten over the last few weeks, and seeing how it's done every saturday, people here are hoping actual change happens. though some people i've talked to don't think anything will, just empty fulfillments because the prices are economic to some degree, etc. it's israel literally any corner you go there will be a different opinion thrown loudly. it has been interesting to see the arabs of jaffa join in on the last protest, the poor residents are being kicked out to upgrade the apartments and move in wealthier residents. the biggest sign i saw last time was a giant sign that read "egypt is here" in arabic/hebrew.  and yeah the majority of this whole thing is leftist, the whole thing started with a bunch of people living in tents on a main street, and now it's a whole weird community that just exists there, mostly young people

i'm sort of taking part, i've mostly been going because canada doesnt get any real protests and it's actually great seeing so many people trying to get change from the government/a few friends bring signs to march. i'll try to take pictures during the next one


edit: it's also great that it's peaceful and people here aren't stupid enough to burn down local businesses