Global Impact of Events: Taiwan Earthquake

When I heard the television report of the earthquake in Taiwan last week, I didn’t think much about it. Sure, I felt immediate sympathy for the people whose lives and livelihoods were disrupted as a result. But it was a world away – and it didn’t directly impact me. Or so I thought.

Then came the email from Marcus, my webmaster, who lives in Malaysia. “Jeanette I am unable to log into the servers to get any work done, as the earthquake in Taiwan has disrupted our connections to all servers in the U.S.”

Thud! Suddenly the Taiwan earthquake had impacted me!

I think that as the world grows smaller as a result of the Internet, we will increasingly feel the impact of events a world away. After all, this is a *worldwide* web we have woven! This was just my first personal experience with it.

P.S. It’s been three days and Marcus is just now almost back to full capacity. Large downloads still present a challenge, but he’s able to log into everything again.