EDITOR'S NOTE

Do you use the Internet? If so, you are one of more than 600 million people worldwide who are online according to recent statistics. Most of these people will also be using email. Whether it's so-called webmail (such as Hotmail's or Yahoo!'s services) or other email programs such as Outlook Express or Eudora, email has arguably become the best way to communicate in the modern world.

Is this a good thing? Ask me right now, when the Student Weekly email system is having a tough time, and I would answer no. I have become so reliant on email that I use it to file away important documents, addresses and other stuff and I am lost when I don't have access to this information. Then, when the system goes down at work, or when my computer has a problem at home, it's suddenly as if I have lost my voice and my ears.

No, actually it's worse than that � it's as if I have lost sections of my mind. For example, the sections that are for remembering what I have said to my friends, family and work colleagues. All of a sudden, I forget what I said to my sister 10,000 km away in London, or what I said to my boss last week (nothing bad I hope, but I have lost my online filing system so I don't know). The worst thing is when you don't know whether or not someone has received your mail or you are getting replies. If they reply, you know they got your mail, but if they don't, then maybe they got the mail but are waiting to reply, or they replied and you didn't get it.

Anyway, my message to all of you who sent me email in the last couple of weeks and haven't heard anything back, I will reply to you. If I actually got the mail and my reply is actually delivered, that is...

Matt Leppard, Editor
[email protected]