When the residents of South Park awaken to discover they have no Internet service, and eventually determine there’s no Internet to check why there’s no Internet, they begin a Tom Joad-like trek to California, although in this case it’s Silicon Valley.

I was reminded of my own Internet dependence, which became clear during the great Manhattan (Kansas) ice storm of 2007. Or traveling in France last year, aimlessly walking around neighborhoods trying to pick up free Internet (hint, the French password protect everything).

But I wouldn’t trade it for John Adams-era communication, waiting for word of a French alliance to arrive by boat.