# What would you do if you knew that the internet would be shut down forever at midnigh
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [March 17, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857 "2004-03-17T16:02:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/21 "2004-03-17T20:47:10Z")
I’d immediatly start looking for connections to all the pirate ISPs and servers that would undoubtedly surface. 😃
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### Author:  [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/22 "2004-03-17T20:54:47Z")
Go on a mad crazy search for any and every picture (and I won’t be picky in the least) I could find of the following people:
Kenneth Branagh
Nicole Kidman
Elijah Wood
Alan Rickman
Dominic Monaghan
Billy Boyd
Russell Crowe
Tom Felton
Daniel Radcliffe
Rupert Grint
Devon Murray
Paul Bettany
Jennifer Connelly
LeeLee Sobieski
Kiera Knightly
Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom
Jerry O’Connell
Kate Winslet
Leonardo DiCaprio
Nicholas Farrell
Ewan McGregor
I’d save CS, IMHO, MPSIMS and the Pit threads somehow as non-internet files for later reading.
I’d try to save any and all online encyclopedias to my hard drive.
I’d download as many Yahoo! or other games to my hard drive.
I’d see if I can save any Strong Bad emails for later enjoyment.
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### Author:  [@RainGrowsBrite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RainGrowsBrite)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/23 "2004-03-17T20:56:04Z")
On those very last minutes???
I would just cry like a baby. Let’s all just admit it…
And after it was all said and done I would try and remember…
…how to find movie theatre times.
…how to pay bills by snail mail.
…how in the hell we got information before!!
A library??? ARE THERE STILL LIBRARYS???
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### Author:  [@Paradoxical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paradoxical)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/24 "2004-03-17T21:22:39Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#):
>
> What if you miss?
Hang myself with the mouse cord.
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### Author:  [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/25 "2004-03-17T22:01:01Z")
Invest in newspaper and publishing companies.
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### Author:  [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/26 "2004-03-17T22:35:31Z")
Put in a call to Al Gore.
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### Author:  [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/27 "2004-03-17T22:50:00Z")
I would begin to _earn_ my pay at work, until they figured out I have no clue what I’m doing. 😉
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### Author:  [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/28 "2004-03-17T22:57:25Z")
Download every episode, special, and game from Homestar Runner.
No, really.
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### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/29 "2004-03-18T02:54:04Z")
Very interesting question.
I’d spend my time wisely and use it in a frantic, “go-for-broke”, search to find that third word that ends in “gry”.
😃
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### Author:  [@Nvme77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nvme77)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/30 "2004-03-18T06:51:51Z")
> [@dwc1970](#):
>
> [ul]
> [li]Work on the kinds of projects I did before the Internet[/li][li]Watch more TV[/li][li]Go back to reading a newspaper and using an encycolpedia, visit the library more again, start buying more music CDs again with the money that would have been spent on the Internet service.[/li][li]Find something else to do at work to pass the time (besides more work 🙂 )[/li][li]Celebrate the fact that spammers would have to find new hobbies.[/li][/ul]
I have to agree with you on this… I would have to start paying attention to my children and actually cook food for them… :eek:
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### Author:  [@Call\_me\_Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Call_me_Frank)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/31 "2004-03-18T07:00:31Z")
I’d be online…talking on IM, no doubt…quite possibly playing a last game of Yahoo! Pool or TruePoker…send a final email to my dad… DL as much of the SDMB as I could…
And then…
I’d cast of my clothes and run screaming into the woods to live Thoreau-style…
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/32 "2004-03-18T07:01:06Z")
> [@ggurl](#):
>
> Post my phone number on the SDMB.
Why wait? 😉
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### Author:  [@DevilDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DevilDan)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/33 "2004-03-18T07:12:29Z")
Send good bye messages to my few online acquaintances. Download the Encyclopedia Mythica. Download every ebook and etext I can find that halfway interests me.
After? _ **SLEEP.** _
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### Author:  [@tangochick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tangochick)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/34 "2004-03-18T15:22:24Z")
No Internet? How medieval…perhaps I would just dust off the ol’ library card, get snail mail info from all my online friends before closing down my yahoo account. I will miss my Alchemy and Text Twist…
On the bright side, no more SPAM!!!
Of course my fiance would have a much harder time, what with playing SWG and Ravenshield all day long…
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### Author:  [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/35 "2004-03-18T15:41:45Z")
Since I actually _work_ in the Internet industry, the prosaic answer is, I’d be emailing my CV and application forms out until the hammer finally dropped.
After that, I’ve no idea. Changing my name and going on the run from my bank manager, most likely.
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### Author:  [@Eli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eli)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/36 "2004-03-18T16:28:57Z")
I’ll download the entire Project Gutenberg and it’s less legal counterparts.
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### Author:  [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-that-the-internet-would-be-shut-down-forever-at-midnigh/234857/37 "2004-03-18T18:12:03Z")
Before midnight, I’d:
1. Frantically exchange RL names, addresses, and phone numbers with those onlinne friends whose info I don’t already have.
2. Say, “screw legality” and go on the MP3-downloading binge I’ve always wanted to do.
Afterwards:
1. Read a bit more.
2. Get outdoors a lot more.
3. Watch more movies.
4. See more of my friends, both the formerly online kind and the always offline kind.
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