I understand what you're saying, but even with that kind of immersion, you're still not divorced of the physical world you live in, though you could be a hermit geek I suppose. I guess I just have a hard time fathoming someone who would want to do this, though I suppose I've done it in the negative so why not.

Do you think this may be what's happening with radical Islamists on the net? They certainly seem to exist in a cyber-environment as well as the real world?

I was actually very excited recently to discover that a message board I've been posting on for months actually skews very conservative politically. I find it somewhat boring to have discussions involving "me, too" and "I quite agree." I thought that being the scaeagles of another message board would be very interesting.

Alas, along with the conservativeness came the rudeness and immaturity and downright nastiness that tends to confirm some of my worst suspicions about the breed. Stepping outside your comfort-circle can be a hostile experience, perhaps on the 'net even moreso than i.r.l. (because of the anonymity factor). And while I relish stepping outside the comfort zone of ideas, I don't want to give up the comfort feeling of peacefulness as a trade-off.

* * * * * * *

In the last decade, the vast majority of my new real life friends have had a strong internet component. Either I've met them i.r.l. after being part of their message board community, or I've met them i.r.l. and kept in contact afterwards via being part of their message board community. My whole modern sense of friendship is tied up with it. Conversely, my many friends from before this period tend to have email as their most tech-forward means of staying in contact.

Although I met my last lover through a general message board meet, I've yet to become involved with someone solely from an intent-to-hookup connection on the net. That's likely going to change in '07. Though I can't rule anything out, I'm kinda at my limit of being able to get enough face time with the friends I've already got. And, well, there's no lover potential anywhere amongst those 50 people.

So, probably within the first quarter of the brand new year, I'm going to make that further tech step - - and try to form a relationship over the net with the express intention of bringing it into real life for the most important relationship in my real life.

It strikes me as sorta scary, but it seems the logical (and necessary) progression in the tech-assisted relationships curve. A brave new world that will require some personal bravery.