# What do you do while waiting for a slow Internet response.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 10, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496 "2001-04-10T18:22:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@tshirts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tshirts)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/1 "2001-04-10T18:22:50Z")
While waiting for posts to complete, or searches to return, this morning I’ve been:
- Reading the newspaper
- Making a baked a potato in the microwave.
- Circling upcoming movies in the TV guide.
- Paying bills.
Now that I’ve run out of those, I’ll just have to log off until evening. ☹
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### Author:  [@Oblio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblio)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2001, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/2 "2001-04-10T19:34:10Z")
Write code at work 🙂
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### Author:  [@They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/They_Call_Me_Sneeze)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/3 "2001-04-10T23:41:37Z")
I read my philosophy book. It actually works out rather nicely - I can’t take more than three paragraphs of philosophy at one time, and my rewards is always “see what is on the screen.”
of course, reading three paragraphs every half hour is not an effective way to study, but still - i stand by my system.
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### Author:  [@Tyklfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyklfe)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/4 "2001-04-11T00:50:46Z")
lay back, take a deep breath and listen to some jimmy buffet
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### Author:  [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/5 "2001-04-11T01:12:49Z")
I sometimes think I could conceive, gestate, deliver and raise a child to adulthood in the time it takes some sites to load (hell, I could gestate a baby elephant in the time it takes anything going through AOL).
So of course what I **actually** do is open other browser windows and surf sites I know offer instant gratification and consume my already stretched system resources on chat programmes like ICQ and IRC.
It mightn’t be logical, but it least it **feels** like I’m accomplishing something while I wait.
Now if I could just work out how to fill the time it takes for my hard drive to defrag.
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### Author:  [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/6 "2001-04-11T01:46:14Z")
Remove frozen waffle from freezer. Place in toaster. Heat.
Cover with margarine and syrup. Consume. Repeat as needed.
Go to store when waffle supply exhausted. Return home. Check computer (wash syrupy hands first). Lay down when sudden tummy ache occurs. Nap.
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### Author:  [@donnie\_rotten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donnie_rotten)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/7 "2001-04-11T01:48:27Z")
I will sometimes play guitar, get food, check what’s on TV, or use the opportunity to pop in a new CD.
But usually I curse. A lot.
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### Author:  [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/8 "2001-04-11T01:59:46Z")
I play solitaire.
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### Author:  [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/9 "2001-04-11T03:34:01Z")
Mostly I read (working on _The Good Earth_ today), but so far I like **beckwall’s** solution best. I’m picking up some waffles tomorrow!
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/10 "2001-04-11T03:47:25Z")
While waiting for the straight dope to load, usually I browse a few other sites, take care of the kids, eat, fire up napster and check to see if there any songs left on it, or just read a book.
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### Author:  [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/11 "2001-04-11T04:11:37Z")
Study. I can usual get at least a paragraph or two written or a couple of pages read before the boards load.
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### Author:  [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/12 "2001-04-11T04:45:25Z")
Many things happen while trying to access the SDMB during the day:
[list]
[li]Catch up on the other message boards I go to[/li][li]Get up, take a pee, pet the cat, sit down and hope the page has loaded[/li][li]Catch up on email[/li][li]Watch my soap operas…like a tennis match looking to see if the screen has updated[/li][li]Devise ways that the SDMB could quicken it’s speed, but it’s for not[/li][li]Wish I had the same problem on my own message board because too many people are there…er on second thought I just wish more would visit[/li][/list}
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### Author:  [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/13 "2001-04-11T05:10:35Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*Devise ways that the SDMB could quicken it’s speed, but it’s for not
> \*\*
I mentally plot the rant that I would like to post in the pit about the slow donwload times. Sometimes I read [theonion.com](http://theonion.com) or [bushoncrack.com](http://bushoncrack.com) .
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### Author:  [@Silly\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silly_Rabbit)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/14 "2001-04-11T06:38:50Z")
I have to blink, not ONCE… but TWICE!!
damn cable… 🙂
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### Author:  [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/15 "2001-04-11T06:47:34Z")
Well, I’ve got a high-speed connection, so pretty much everything loads super-fast…except for the boards during the day. It usually doesn’t take too long, so I’ll:[ul]
[li] check my e-mail[/li][li] same as **reprise** ; open another window & check out other sites[/li][li] listen to some music[/li][li] play some music on my bass[/li][/ul]
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### Author:  [@Mearl\_Dox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mearl_Dox)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/16 "2001-04-11T07:10:24Z")
Play on my Game Boy. Almost finished replaying Dragon Warrior (1). 🙂
Okay, so maybe it isn’t studying philosophy. But it’s fun!
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### Author:  [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/17 "2001-04-11T07:15:10Z")
Feed hungry kids.
Dress for work.
Perform exorcism rites on my hair.
Play solitaire.
Smoke.
Email friends.
Check to see if the page has loaded yet…
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### Author:  [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/18 "2001-04-11T13:41:45Z")
Usually I open another window and visit a site that I know will load quickly. Sometimes I play Solitaire or Minesweeper.
The computer at my parents’ house used to take forever to load pages. At one point it took almost an hour just to connect to the Internet. Same thing for loading new pages. My mom says she used to type in a website addy and then go bake muffins while she waited for the page to load.
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### Author:  [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/19 "2001-04-11T14:02:15Z")
I only have acces to the internaet at work, so I’m usually doing something job-related (honest!) and flipping to my web browser every so often.
When the SDMB is really busy during the day, I don’t even bother with it. My connection times out just about every time. It sucks, but it’s good incentive to get my work done.
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### Author:  [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-while-waiting-for-a-slow-internet-response/61496/20 "2001-04-11T14:52:17Z")
At work, I have two computers, so while I was waiting for this screen to load, I was editting an image in PhotoShop. Other options for this morning included:
[ul]check voice mail
open window (a physical one, not an Internet browser one :))
eat corn pops
scratch my foot
change my CD
lose/find my glasses
play a game (tetris or mancala) on the other screen
answer ICQ messages[/ul]
I also feel the need to admit that my stomach actually growled while reading **beckwall** ’s post… ☹
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