Where do I ask what happened to the internet when the internet is down?
This question has been in my A2A list for awhile. I see in the comments that the context of the question was in regards to Quora being done, but let me expand upon the bigger picture issue for a moment. Something people reading this answer should stop and think about. “Where do I ask what happened to the internet when the internet is down?” is a good question that should provoke some thought, but not necessarily have a one size fits all answer. When the internet is down you need to think about how things were done before the internet.
If you are talking about losing access to the internet, do you have the phone number of your internet service provider handy? Do you have a way to call them if you lose internet access? Some people have their telephone service bundled to their internet access. If that is the case, losing internet access could also create a loss of telephone service. Do you have a cell phone you could use to call your internet service provider to ask why your access has been lost? Do you have access to plain old telephone service (analog lines) in your area? Have you looked into how much it would cost?
For something like a single website going down, often times it is due to a network issue that impacts a geographic area or multiple websites.
Various websites monitor internet traffic issues, such as sites like these:
http://downdetector.com/status/level3/map/
https://community.spiceworks.com/tools/internet-out-heatmap/
What about your personal plan?
How many things do you do strictly on the internet, and how would you be impacted if you couldn't access the internet? Banking is a good example. My paycheck is direct deposited. I pay all my bills online. If I lost internet access, do I have my banking account numbers written down somewhere just in case I needed them? What if the internet is down because the power is out, what good is the information on my computer if I can't turn on the computer.
Doing storms and power outages there are various radio services that provide news and weather information in your area. Do you have a battery powered radio you can use in times of emergency to listen to the news?
Having a little black book of phone numbers and information might sound a bit old fashioned for some people in today's world, but stop and ask yourself, who do I call when the power goes out? Get that list of phone numbers ready!
The Guru 42 Universe is not run by a university professor with a team of editors and advisers working to developing a website. Tom Peracchio is simply someone who loves technology and history and is amazed by how little people know about the great minds in the world of technology.
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