# The Horror is over! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 20, 2001, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836 "2001-09-20T17:57:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836/1 "2001-09-20T17:57:41Z")
The newest virus caused our IT department to shut down web access for our entire company. This happened at about 4:00 on Tuesday. Yes, I have been completely and totally without web access for almost two entire days. I had to work all day yesterday without a peek at the Straight Dope, or Yahoo, or Netflix, or any other web page. At one point it became so bad that I repeatedly refreshed our internal web page over and over again, just to get a web fix. It was the only page that would come up. None of the links worked, but I could at least see something besides an error message in the browser. I shudder to think I used to work like this every day. I used to regularly work eight hour days without either web access or email. How did I do it? What did I do while I was running builds, or copying files? The world is truly a better place than it was ten years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Cheese\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cheese\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheese_Head)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836/2 "2001-09-20T18:19:26Z")
I feel your pain. What a bad time to lose net access! Maybe the terrorists created the virus. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836/3 "2001-09-20T19:09:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cheese Head \* > \*\*Maybe the terrorists created the virus. \*\* Not to pick on you, but I cringe at the thought of terrorists getting blamed for everything that goes wrong in the world from now on. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836/4 "2001-09-20T19:19:10Z")
> [@](#): > > I repeatedly refreshed our internal web page over and over again, just to get a web fix. That is just unspeakably sad. {{Athena}} There were days at my summer job when our network would go down, and I couldn’t get any web pages at all, and I had to interact with _shudder_ human beings. Or read…what are those rectangular things with paper inside with writing on it? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836/5 "2001-09-20T19:48:45Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Geobabe \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Or read…what are those rectangular things with paper inside with writing on it? \*\* Those are bathroom stall walls, darling. How am I doing in there? Is my phone number updated? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836/6 "2001-09-20T20:04:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xizor \* > \*\*Not to pick on you, but I cringe at the thought of terrorists getting blamed for everything that goes wrong in the world from now on. \*\* The terrorists made you say that! ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836/7 "2001-09-20T21:59:26Z")
Interacting with human beings is fine; interacting with the automatons who work with me is NOT. I can’t tell you how unspeakably difficult it is to be here 8 hours a day with no web access. I played 18 games of Freecell yesterday, and I’m a little surprised it was so few. I guess I played some Minesweeper, too. I used to bring a book to work every day for just this problem, but with the advent of the web, the habit died off. All I can say is that I’m relieved and grateful that I have the web back; I can’t beleive life used to be like this every day. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-horror-is-over/82836/8 "2001-09-20T22:07:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBill \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Geobabe \* > > \*\* Or read…what are those rectangular things with paper inside with writing on it? \*\* > > Those are bathroom stall walls, darling. How am I doing in there? Is my phone number updated? \*\* I can’t tell you how much I needed that laugh right now. Thanks, honey. It is amazing how much the web has changed our daily lives. I rarely call for information any more, I’d much rather look it up on the web, and if a company doesn’t have a website, I am shocked and horrified. I do still read books, but not nearly as many as I once did. I actually love interacting with people and in fact, I have to sometimes. I get pretty buggy when I spend too much time alone.