Andrea Borman
Honorable Member
I was on holiday in Liverpool and Manchester and decided to leave my laptop, a Netbook at home and just use the Internet cafes. Some thing which I now regret. As I have found that the computers in the Internet cafes are very very slow,the software is out of date and the computers are poorly maintained.
Well,I was in an Internet cafe in Liverpool and I downloaded Safefox web browser because they only had Internet Explorer on the computer. But to my surprise the manager of the Internet cafe came over to me and told me off for Installing Safefox. He said," could you not install any software on the computers we do not want you to break them."
He obviously had seen me install Safefox from the master computer he had at his desk on the till. As when they put you on a computer in an Internet cafe they record your time,how long you are on and charge you accordingly. And they also record everything you do on the computer. So they know every site you visit,and every blog or forum post you make.
I told him that I was only installing Safefox and that it was a Firefox browser and that I have it on my computer at home. And wanted to use it there at the Internet cafe.But he told me that they do not allow anyone to install anything on their computers, not even web browsers. And that I had to use the web browsers and chat messengers that was on there.
And so I could not install Aim Messenger or Google Talk because the staff would not let me. And I was very upset because I wanted to talk to my friends on Aim and Google Talk but could not. Because they only had Skype and Yahoo messenger on the computers, which I do not know how to use. Also me and my friends do not have a Skype account. So I could not call my friends on voice or video chat,because the Internet cafe staff would not let me install Aim or Google Talk.
But this is not the first time I have had problems with internet cafes. Before I got my Netbook my first computer a year ago in April 2010.I was using Internet cafes to write my blog posts and record You Tube videos.
One experience I had was about 3 years ago in the days before I got my own computer. When I went into an Internet cafe I had used before to write my blog posts. I have got websites about Hezbollah,Lebanon and current affairs and I wrote some of my posts from this Internet cafe. But one day when I went back in there the shopkeeper told me that the computers are not working,there was no Internet connection. But I saw other people using the computers and there were others that were free. And so it was obvious that it was because of my websites which he saw me writing,was the reason the shop keeper did not want to let me back in the Internet cafe.Remember they record everything you do in an Internet cafe.
Another example was once,the person sitting next to me in another Internet cafe was rude to me. And upset me and disturbed my concentration and I could not work properly. They let me move to another computer, but I was still upse,t so I could not write my blog posts because that incident(the person who was rude to me) was on my mind the whole time.
The internet cafe owners treat us adults like children. They deny us open time. They watch and record everything you do on the computer and they have stupid rules. One internet cafe I went to had a big sign on the door and above all of the computers,warning that" anyone found visiting sites we do not approve of will be instantly barred from the shop." So you could be on a website as innocent as My Space, but if the owner does not like it,he can throw you out and stop you coming back in the Internet cafe. And there is nothing you can do about it. And notices like that put you off from the start, and make you nervous about doing anything in the Internet cafe.
It is possible to blog and record videos in an Internet cafe but difficult.Some cafes let you have open time,where they put you on a computer and they don't turn it off until you have finished. And then charge you for how long you was on. Others won't let you have open time. And this is a problem because you can be in the middle of doing some thing. And then your time runs out. And by the time you have got to the till to ask for more time they have turned off the computer and all your work is gone.
And recording You Tube videos in an Internet cafe is also a problem. You have to speak so quietly into the mic because you are worried about who is listening and that you might upset the people sitting next to you,and in the cafe, and the shop keeper. So you cannot make good sound videos.
All of these reasons is why I got my own computer. And my advice to anyone who blogs or makes videos from an Internet cafe is-you need to get your own computer, now. And they are not expensive. Netbooks are now very cheap and so is a broadband contract. So there is no excuse not to get your own computer.
And it is true to say that if you do not have your own computer and just use Internet cafes.You are not your own boss.
I have gone back to Manchester again for another holiday. But THIS TIME,I have taken my Netbok with me from home. And I have got a T.mobile broadband USB stick.Pay as you go broadband. And in addition to that, I also have the public wifi in the hotel I am staying in, to connect to the Internet on my Netbook. So this time,my trip will not include a visit to the Internet cafe. Andrea Borman.
Well,I was in an Internet cafe in Liverpool and I downloaded Safefox web browser because they only had Internet Explorer on the computer. But to my surprise the manager of the Internet cafe came over to me and told me off for Installing Safefox. He said," could you not install any software on the computers we do not want you to break them."
He obviously had seen me install Safefox from the master computer he had at his desk on the till. As when they put you on a computer in an Internet cafe they record your time,how long you are on and charge you accordingly. And they also record everything you do on the computer. So they know every site you visit,and every blog or forum post you make.
I told him that I was only installing Safefox and that it was a Firefox browser and that I have it on my computer at home. And wanted to use it there at the Internet cafe.But he told me that they do not allow anyone to install anything on their computers, not even web browsers. And that I had to use the web browsers and chat messengers that was on there.
And so I could not install Aim Messenger or Google Talk because the staff would not let me. And I was very upset because I wanted to talk to my friends on Aim and Google Talk but could not. Because they only had Skype and Yahoo messenger on the computers, which I do not know how to use. Also me and my friends do not have a Skype account. So I could not call my friends on voice or video chat,because the Internet cafe staff would not let me install Aim or Google Talk.
But this is not the first time I have had problems with internet cafes. Before I got my Netbook my first computer a year ago in April 2010.I was using Internet cafes to write my blog posts and record You Tube videos.
One experience I had was about 3 years ago in the days before I got my own computer. When I went into an Internet cafe I had used before to write my blog posts. I have got websites about Hezbollah,Lebanon and current affairs and I wrote some of my posts from this Internet cafe. But one day when I went back in there the shopkeeper told me that the computers are not working,there was no Internet connection. But I saw other people using the computers and there were others that were free. And so it was obvious that it was because of my websites which he saw me writing,was the reason the shop keeper did not want to let me back in the Internet cafe.Remember they record everything you do in an Internet cafe.
Another example was once,the person sitting next to me in another Internet cafe was rude to me. And upset me and disturbed my concentration and I could not work properly. They let me move to another computer, but I was still upse,t so I could not write my blog posts because that incident(the person who was rude to me) was on my mind the whole time.
The internet cafe owners treat us adults like children. They deny us open time. They watch and record everything you do on the computer and they have stupid rules. One internet cafe I went to had a big sign on the door and above all of the computers,warning that" anyone found visiting sites we do not approve of will be instantly barred from the shop." So you could be on a website as innocent as My Space, but if the owner does not like it,he can throw you out and stop you coming back in the Internet cafe. And there is nothing you can do about it. And notices like that put you off from the start, and make you nervous about doing anything in the Internet cafe.
It is possible to blog and record videos in an Internet cafe but difficult.Some cafes let you have open time,where they put you on a computer and they don't turn it off until you have finished. And then charge you for how long you was on. Others won't let you have open time. And this is a problem because you can be in the middle of doing some thing. And then your time runs out. And by the time you have got to the till to ask for more time they have turned off the computer and all your work is gone.
And recording You Tube videos in an Internet cafe is also a problem. You have to speak so quietly into the mic because you are worried about who is listening and that you might upset the people sitting next to you,and in the cafe, and the shop keeper. So you cannot make good sound videos.
All of these reasons is why I got my own computer. And my advice to anyone who blogs or makes videos from an Internet cafe is-you need to get your own computer, now. And they are not expensive. Netbooks are now very cheap and so is a broadband contract. So there is no excuse not to get your own computer.
And it is true to say that if you do not have your own computer and just use Internet cafes.You are not your own boss.
I have gone back to Manchester again for another holiday. But THIS TIME,I have taken my Netbok with me from home. And I have got a T.mobile broadband USB stick.Pay as you go broadband. And in addition to that, I also have the public wifi in the hotel I am staying in, to connect to the Internet on my Netbook. So this time,my trip will not include a visit to the Internet cafe. Andrea Borman.