LiveScience is reporting that Tim Berners-Lee should be credited as the inventor of the internet that we all use and love today. Developed in the 1970s, the infant internet was born from the need to permit file-sharing between computers quickly and efficiently and was it was utilized only by a limited number of scientists at the US Department of Defense and various universities and laboratories across the nation. In March 1989 Berners-Lee received permission from his superiors to continue his research to bring the internet to the masses. One year later he had created hypertext transfer protocol (http), the primary programming language that all websites use. In 1992 he left CERN, the company that fueled his dream, to create the World Wide Web Consortium with the goals of improving accessibility and neutrality of his invention.

As I sit on my bed with my laptop tying this blog I am profoundly grateful to Mr Berners-Lee for his vision, hard work and passion. My life has been impacted in numerous ways because of his invention. When I was a closeted gay man still married to my ex-wife I recall vividly the feelings of utter solitude and dismay. I remember too the amazing window to world that the internet provided me from the comfort and privacy of my home. Eventually I stumbled upon the email discussion group, Bisexual Married Men of America (BMMA), where I found many other men like me with whom I could converse, relate to and pour my heart out to. Over time I gained enough strength and self-confidence to accept myself as I am.

The internet continues to effect my life. I met my husband, Patrick, online 9 years ago in a chat room on gay.com and we found both of our dogs online as well. My initial investigations of both my medical school at OHSU and my OB/GYN residency program at the U of MN began online. And now I am writing this blog that you have stumbled upon. How has the internet affected your life?