Journal: News & Comment

Can the Net kill you?

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Dave Winer of UserLand Software has some thoughts about how the Internet can be bad for your health.

I sometimes get the idea that people show up for the flamefests as a form of entertainment. It is not entertaining for me. In one of the threads I asked if people really cared. No one said they did. Now I know some people will attack me for saying this. So be it. I'm going to keep working and creating as long as it makes sense to. But if it gets too heavy I'll stop working altogether, permanently. I'm too good to be wasted as a form of entertainment.

I have a pretty good idea why Jon Postel died at such a young age. And why Douglas Adams did. The pressure of living a creative life is enormous. When that intersects with the Internet the pressure can increase to an unsustainable level. If other people doubt that lives are at stake, I don't.

Back in June, Winer had bypass surgery, and he remains quite weak (though still a non-smoker!) 100 days later. He is 47 years old.

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