_____The fire in Jason's back yard was burning low.
A cold October night. We moved closer to the embers._____
"I remember when the Internet was like quicksand,"
Gunter said. "It began with browsers
and clickable advertisements.
_____Suddenly everyone was upgrading,
and the lines were always busy.
My doctor acquired an email address on America Online.
Where was the power or secret knowledge
in silently reading the email of strangers
when they made the intimate details of their lives public
on their home pages?"

He reached down and took my hand.

..................................................... home