So begins my mid-semester 'break'. Lots planned (see previous post), and first in the firing line is finishing the HIST2606 essay. Got some good primary sources but need more.

Worked yesterday, went to church last night.

The weather is heating up a lot, which i am not liking. Last few nights slept with only the one sheet and the window open. Boo hoo, i hate the summer weather. 🙁

A thought has come upon me in the recent weeks: Is having (almost) unlimited access to high-speed internet beneficial, or actually detrimental to me studying for uni?

If you has asked me three years ago, before we had cable, i would have said it would be great: i could do more research on my essays, be more synchronised with my courses and my lecture notes etc., and i could do and learn more stuff for my chosen profession (IT).

Now i'm not quite sure. Although having access to said resources is great, the internet increases exponentially the potential for, and time value of, procrastination (this blog being the perfect example, lol). I find that often i am wasting much more time. I'm not sure if I weighed up the benefits and these detriments that the benefits would actually win out.

I find that often, especially in essay writing, it is more beneficial for me to just switch off the computer and forget about further research and just write the essay, than potentially spending 3+ hours searching for an article that may contain something that i would like to include.

In the end, i guess the merits of the internet for studying really depends upon the amount of self-control you have in getting and staying focused on what you need to do, and not to get distracted. This is harder than it sounds, as the vast expanse of the internet is mostly designed to get you distracted to view sites and advertising that you would, or might be, interested in (my list includes football, Star Wars, IT stuff, and so on...), buy products, or just waste your money via browsing and ISP costs.