Is there such a thing as information addiction?

[Rockchick26]

This is very strange, but I just did a search for how to cure internet addiction because I feel like I have that, and one of the first results that came up was a thread in this very forum! I clicked on it, and here it was a thread that I actually replied to!! It was from a year and a half ago!! In it, I was telling someone else that it isn't so bad to sit on the internet or sit watching tv for hours on end as long as you aren't just mindlessly zoning out and doing it because there is nothing else to do. Like it's ok if you are learning something or gathering information. Then someone replied to me telling me that what I do is not considered internet addiction, since I am learning and researching stuff.

So now I wonder if i'm an information addict! Is it possible to be addicted to learning information? I guess I feel like I'm making up for lost time, because I am 37 and up until I was about 34, I didn't do anything with my life except work a boring job, party with my friends, and listen to music. Once I woke up and realized there was more to life, I have been like a snowball on a mountain, the more I learn, the more I want to learn, and my thirst for knowledge just gets bigger and stronger. I feel overwhelmed because there is too much to learn and not enough time! I literally have at least 20 books I haven't finished reading because I keep buying more before I'm finished! Whenever I first get into something new, I dive right in up to my neck and I immerse myself in that subject until the next thing catches my attention. I have so many interests and I want to go to school for every one of them but even AFTER narrowing down my list I still had 15 careers I couldn't decide between! I just have too many interests and I want to learn about them all. I'd love to be rich and just go to college every year of my life and learn something new each time. And i'm sure along the way I would pick up 100 other things I want to learn about, it just never ends!

I can, and have, spent 16 hours a day on the computer basically going back and forth between learning something from a website, joining forums that deal with whatever I just got into, researching a subject, you name it. But this might not be internet addiction because I'm the same way when I go into a bookstore or library. I walk around and end up picking up 3-5 books all at once and sit down and can easily spend 4-6 hours in the store.

Is there such a thing as information addiction or is this okay? Is there a smart way to cram all this information in so there is time for more? I feel like at the rate I'm going, I'll have so many potential things I want to learn that I could easily never work again another day in my life and be homeless and just live in bookstores all day reading book after book after book!

[FazK]

Yes information addiction is a real problem that many people have. It manifests its self in many ways the most common is where you constantly check news sources. The best way to cure yourself is to just go cold turkey for 30 days. Trust me you are missing nothing most news is rubbish and doesn't affect you

[Rockchick26]

Well I'm not talking about news, in fact I don't even watch the news. I'm talking about educational subjects, like personal development, religions and beliefs, a skill I want to have such as photography or filmmaking, learning about nature, learning about the Bible and other works of knowledge...all stuff that I feel like everyone else already knows except me because I couldn't give a crap about learning back in high school.

[Abitofzen]

You can be addicted to anything.

• Heroine
• Cheezy Poofs
• Sex
• Horror Movies
• Pain
• Products on Information Marketing
• Etc., etc., etc.

I have a similar challenge with information addiction.

A good question to help with this particular addiction... is to ask yourself

"What do you want from all this information?"

• Do you want it just so you can know stuff?
• Just to impress people with your knowledge?
• Just to be the ultimate Jack of all trades?
• Do you want to do something with it?
• What do you want to do?
• What are the most crucial pieces of information and actions that will lead most quickly to that outcome?

All of these may be true to some extent... and that's okay. You just want to make sure that you have a good reason. If you are just doing it for the sake of doing it (and/or because it feels good to do it)... it is little more than an addiction.

As far as addictions go, this is probably the least destructive (congratulations on avoiding crack )... but without a purpose it won't really add any value to you or others.

Once you know your 'why', it is easier to narrow down your quest to the specific knowledge that will get you where you are going.

keep smiling,

Ben

[sidsavara]

Yes, information addiction is real. When we read new things, we actually get a mental rush and crave more.

Irresistible Internet - WSJ.com

I am also working on another article for mywebsite and have been researching pleasure and pain. Apparently novel stimuli provide a dopamine rush (sparse research on it so far, I am trying to find more details to back this up). This may similarly be causing you (and me and many others) to be drawn to information.

That said, if you want to be able to read faster, here's how I streamlined my RSS reading process. I want to keep up on so many things, but still have time in my day to accomplish my goals:

How to Effectively Read 12,853 Articles, Forum Topics & Blog Posts a Week

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by Abitofzen

You can be addicted to anything.

• Heroine

Just so you know, heroine is a female hero, heroin is the drug!

A good question to help with this particular addiction... is to ask yourself

"What do you want from all this information?"

• Do you want it just so you can know stuff?
• Just to impress people with your knowledge?
• Just to be the ultimate Jack of all trades?
• Do you want to do something with it?
• What do you want to do?
• What are the most crucial pieces of information and actions that will lead most quickly to that outcome?

No I don't want to know these things to impress people, or any other selfish reasons. I simply am interested in these things and I feel like I'm very ignorant in most things in life. Like I said, I never paid attention in school and all I did was party and now i'm finding tons of really cool stuff that I wish I had learned about before! I am also trying to figure out what to go to college for so that involves a lot of research, and since I have so many interests, it's hard to narrow it down unless I learn a lot about each one.

As far as addictions go, this is probably the least destructive (congratulations on avoiding crack )... but without a purpose it won't really add any value to you or others.

The crack comment was good! Yep I've never been addicted to any of that bad stuff! I wasn't even an alcohol, I just drank on weekends with my friends!

[seeker5]

I think this is wonderful. You're awakening to the whole world out there and you want to soak up as much knowledge as possible and you have so many interests! That's so awesome.

There are different ways to soak up information faster that I've heard about, such as learning to read faster, etc.

[Cochonette]

I became addicted to information last October when I became vegan. Then I wanted to know everything about veganism, and it turned out to be endless. I read every high quality blog I could find, started reading books, then started reading up on other social justice issues to make connections. Then I just got totally sucked into the information addiction. At least if I tell people how messed up my life is right now, I can say I am still learning and growing in some way and that I'm not entirely wasting my life, even if I'm living it very inefficiently. It's true... it's the only kind of addiction I'm actually kind of comfortable with. The other addictions make me extremely uneasy.

Thanks for the article on effectively reading blogs/forums. That's really helpful.

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by sidsavara

Yes, information addiction is real. When we read new things, we actually get a mental rush and crave more.

Irresistible Internet - WSJ.com

I am also working on another article for mywebsite and have been researching pleasure and pain. Apparently novel stimuli provide a dopamine rush (sparse research on it so far, I am trying to find more details to back this up). This may similarly be causing you (and me and many others) to be drawn to information.

That said, if you want to be able to read faster, here's how I streamlined my RSS reading process. I want to keep up on so many things, but still have time in my day to accomplish my goals:

How to Effectively Read 12,853 Articles, Forum Topics & Blog Posts a Week

That first article was very interesting! At least I know it isn't just me being lazy, that there is a reason for why people are this way!

That second article was pretty cool too...I try to multitask as much as I can so I can read more, in fact I even set my computer on a shelf in front of my trampoline so I can jump on that and read at the same time! It's kinda hard but that's the only way I can work out while reading!

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

I became addicted to information last October when I became vegan. Then I wanted to know everything about veganism, and it turned out to be endless. I read every high quality blog I could find, started reading books, then started reading up on other social justice issues to make connections. Then I just got totally sucked into the information addiction. At least if I tell people how messed up my life is right now, I can say I am still learning and growing in some way and that I'm not entirely wasting my life, even if I'm living it very inefficiently. It's true... it's the only kind of addiction I'm actually kind of comfortable with. The other addictions make me extremely uneasy.

Thanks for the article on effectively reading blogs/forums. That's really helpful.

That's basically how it all starts...you pick up an interest in something and the more you learn about it, the more you want to learn more! That's why I was wondering if this is a bad thing or not because I can't imagine why it would be negative in any way to want to LEARN, that's why we're here, life is full of learning and sharing what we learn and applying what we learn to life! I simply feel like I'm making myself a more rounded person.

[Cochonette]

Yes, Rockchick. I feel I have more to talk to people about now, I have credentials since I ran a vegan campaign, I can connect with people on more levels... making friends with other vegans, even vegetarians sometimes, is wonderful. And it gives me purpose, something to DO to express my purpose of Freedom. Without information, I would feel very timid about it.

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

Yes, Rockchick. I feel I have more to talk to people about now, I have credentials since I ran a vegan campaign, I can connect with people on more levels... making friends with other vegans, even vegetarians sometimes, is wonderful. And it gives me purpose, something to DO to express my purpose of Freedom. Without information, I would feel very timid about it.

That's a good point! I often have a hard time thinking of things to say to people and usually end up just listening but the more you learn, the more you can contribute to conversations! Unfortunately, 99% of the people I know have no interest in any of the stuff I like to learn about.

[jimmyk1006]

You love information? Go to college. They'll be glad to give you countless books to read!

I sort of feel the same way you do, except, I don't have a dying thirst of knowledge, lol. Yes, I am knowledgeable, and I love to learn, but not to the point where I want to live in a bookstore.

Trust me, when you're in college, professors will give you countless hours of work to do. Try it. Someone as smart as you will win scholarships to pay off your whole college tuition!

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by jimmyk1006

You love information? Go to college. They'll be glad to give you countless books to read!

I sort of feel the same way you do, except, I don't have a dying thirst of knowledge, lol. Yes, I am knowledgeable, and I love to learn, but not to the point where I want to live in a bookstore.

Trust me, when you're in college, professors will give you countless hours of work to do. Try it. Someone as smart as you will win scholarships to pay off your whole college tuition!

I've been trying to figure out how to go to college. I'm not smart enough to get scholarships, my grades in high school averaged a C. I also just thought, if I can't get a job, how am I going to be able to pay for a dorm, or gas to drive an hour to and from school every day? I'm probably going to have to get rid of my internet access too, if I have to move back home, so online classes might not work either.

I don't want to turn this into a pity party, I am just saying I've been thinking about college for almost a year now and that's another seperate issue.

[jimmyk1006]

I understand. Sorry if you didn't want me to bring up college again, but if you live in Georgia, you can get the HOPE scholarship which pays for all of your tuition. How do you think I pay for college, lol. You can earn it in your first year of college. I also get financial aid, so I technically get paid a good amount of money to attend college since I have the scholarship with it. You can get all of that too! If you have a 3.0 GPA the first year, your college will be paid for the next three years (no matter how old you are). Even if you don't earn a scholarship, I'm sure you're eligible for financial aid (no matter what your grades are). But as for the scholarship, you have to stay at 3.0 or above. But if you lose it, you can always gain the scholarship back again. It's not a contest. Anyone can get it with a 3.0 GPA or higher. And I know you could with all of the information you know. The only thing is, you have to be a resident of Georgia to have the scholarship. But as I stated, there's financial aid as well.

So, put your smarts into good use. At least you can earn a degree by doing what you're already doing now. Money should not be a factor now.

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by jimmyk1006

I understand. Sorry if you didn't want me to bring up college again, but if you live in Georgia, you can get the HOPE scholarship which pays for all of your tuition. How do you think I pay for college, lol. You can earn it in your first year of college. I also get financial aid, so I technically get paid a good amount of money to attend college since I have the scholarship with it. You can get all of that too! If you have a 3.0 GPA the first year, your college will be paid for the next three years (no matter how old you are). Even if you don't earn a scholarship, I'm sure you're eligible for financial aid (no matter what your grades are). But as for the scholarship, you have to stay at 3.0 or above. But if you lose it, you can always gain the scholarship back again. It's not a contest. Anyone can get it with a 3.0 GPA or higher. And I know you could with all of the information you know. The only thing is, you have to be a resident of Georgia to have the scholarship. But as I stated, there's financial aid as well.

Well I guess I'm living in the wrong state! It would be worth it to move there just to get free college! The thing with me is I can't afford it even if I have to pay a small amount, so even applying for financial aid isn't enough for me because from the research i've done, that only pays a small fraction or maybe half, if you're lucky.

[jimmyk1006]

Well, I get $2100 a semester for financial aid. Being a full time student plus all of the fees cost $1920 a semester. Oh, but wait, there's more! I have that HOPE scholarship that pays me an additional $2000 a semester, lol. It depends at the school you're looking at. My school's tuition is cheap, but the quality of education is superb. You may think that tuition costs $20,000 a year. Yeah, many schools are like that. It won't even cost that much for four years at my school, lol.

Here's what I suggest: move to Georgia, lol. I'm sure some states have scholarships similar to this, but as I know, my state is the only one that pays full tuition for getting a certain GPA. It's no contest getting the scholarship. All you have to do is meet requirements. The downside is that you have to be a resident of Georgia, so I think you would have to live here for 12 months to qualify as a Georgia resident (but I would have to check on that).

But if you're thinking about college, but don't want to jump right in to it, I suggest you go on "Who wants to be a Millionaire." A truck driver who was like you won the Million! He probably didn't sleep in the book store, but he had a thirst for information! Here's his million dollar moment: YouTube - Kevin Smith's Million Dollar Question (HQ/Full Length) on Who Wants to be a Millionaire

All I'm saying is put that information into good use. Enter essay contests or go on gameshows. They're for smart people. Less people are less likely to apply for something that requires an essay, or something that requires a brain. Think of Deal or No Deal. You don't need a brain for that show, so imagine all of the people who apply for that. Think about all of the people who don't apply gameshows that require knowledge. You have the knowledge, put it into good use. I'm dying to go on Who want to be a Millionaire, and I'm not even 20 years old yet, lol. I better finish my history class first, because they ask history questions on the show. You should totally do something with your knowledge though!

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by jimmyk1006

Well, I get $2100 a semester for financial aid. Being a full time student plus all of the fees cost $1920 a semester. Oh, but wait, there's more! I have that HOPE scholarship that pays me an additional $2000 a semester, lol. It depends at the school you're looking at. My school's tuition is cheap, but the quality of education is superb. You may think that tuition costs $20,000 a year. Yeah, many schools are like that. It won't even cost that much for four years at my school, lol.

Here's what I suggest: move to Georgia, lol. I'm sure some states have scholarships similar to this, but as I know, my state is the only one that pays full tuition for getting a certain GPA. It's no contest getting the scholarship. All you have to do is meet requirements. The downside is that you have to be a resident of Georgia, so I think you would have to live here for 12 months to qualify as a Georgia resident (but I would have to check on that).

But if you're thinking about college, but don't want to jump right in to it, I suggest you go on "Who wants to be a Millionaire." A truck driver who was like you won the Million! He probably didn't sleep in the book store, but he had a thirst for information! Here's his million dollar moment: YouTube - Kevin Smith's Million Dollar Question (HQ/Full Length) on Who Wants to be a Millionaire

All I'm saying is put that information into good use. Enter essay contests or go on gameshows. They're for smart people. Less people are less likely to apply for something that requires an essay, or something that requires a brain. Think of Deal or No Deal. You don't need a brain for that show, so imagine all of the people who apply for that. Think about all of the people who don't apply gameshows that require knowledge. You have the knowledge, put it into good use. I'm dying to go on Who want to be a Millionaire, and I'm not even 20 years old yet, lol. I better finish my history class first, because they ask history questions on the show. You should totally do something with your knowledge though!

Gee, I wish I was half as smart as you think I am! I really think the stuff I like to learn about isn't considered "knowledge" really, I have no interest in the kind of knowledge they teach us in high school. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but up until this year I thought England and the UK were the same thing, and that Africa was a country. I have talked to people from other countries and they are amazed at how little I know, I feel like an idiot talking to them sometimes! I'm not cut out for being on tv anyway, I get too uncomfortable even in a group of more than 3 or 4 people!

If I have to live in Georgia for a whole year before going to school yeah that wouldn't be worth it, but I wonder if my state (Minnesota) has anything similar. One school I want to go to is about $4000 per year but I don't know how many classes that involves. I want to take about 10 classes, if that matters. This is how un-smart I am, I dont even know how it works!

[jimmyk1006]

I'm taking Geography now. I used to be dumb in what a country was and where they were located and whatnot.

As for college, it depends on how many classes you take and what you take. They go by credits, and most classes are 3 credit classes. You need 12 credits to be a full time student (4 classes). If you aren't full time, you will get less financial aid. Trust me, four classes per semester is enough for me. A semester is usually four months long. At most schools, you need 30 credits to be a Sophomore (which would take two semesters plus a couple of classes over the summer). That's what I did! Even with two classes over the summer, I still had a 2 month break left! And you can choose your schedule. For me, I attend only two days a week. Why go for five days a week when the classes are four months long anyway? The five day a week classes have shorter class times versus the two a week classes that have longer class times. It gives me more time to study for tests and everything!

I hope that explains things more clearly. And don't feel like an idiot. We're human, not machines. Hell, even machines make mistakes sometimes, lol. If you go around this world with just a ball of knowledge, then what's the use of it for? The smartest people with PHDs are some of the most stupidest people I know. Not all, but many of them think they know everything. Then when they don't know something, they feel stupid. What's important for most people is to have communication skills. Yes, some knowledge is needed for certain topics, but if you're a good communicator, you can change the subject of a topic (which is what I did in for this forum topic) and make it sound pleasant to people.

You're on the right track. Just explore your options for college, but be sure to put that knowledge into good use. In order to do that, you'll need a college degree to do some of the things you want to do. On the flip side, you gain knowledge. I feel so much smarter now because of college. It doesn't mean you need college to be smart, but for me, it has helped.

Feel free to reply and I'll help in whatever way I can.

[Rockchick26]

oh that helps, thanks for explaining that! I pretty much have picked the school I'd wanna go to, but I haven't taken a tour or anything yet because I dont want them to force me to sign up if I'm not ready. The issue i'm having is I am interested in so many things that I can't really get a degree in any one program because my classes don't fit together. Like I wanna take philosophy, photography, audio production, video production, creative writing, library science, and metaphysical studies. I would probably want a job working in a library or bookstore as my full time job and then the other things would just be hobbies. Partly why I want to go to school for these things is to meet other people who are into them too. So my goal isn't a degree exactly, but just to gain experience, knowledge, and new friendships. I think if I went to the school and told them all that, they would try to change it around so I have to take other classes I don't want to take just to get a degree in something.

[jimmyk1006]

At my school, you can get a degree in General Studies, which is like a bit of everything (which you might want). And by the way, no matter what your degree is, you still have to take Math, Science, English, History, and many other things to graduate. Plus, you have Electives, which are classes YOU want to choose for credit. You get several of those. So college isn't just about one thing, you study many things to get a degree. If you school has a website, they should have a list of degree options. If not, check with your school and see what degrees they offer. Again, you still have to take a bunch of stuff unrelated to your degree in order to get one.

[ydnab40]

Wow rockchick. I read your original post and had to check to be sure it wasn't one of my posts lol!!

My problem is that I am always moving on to the "next big thing" whatever that is. At the moment it is trying to find out what my life purpose is. At the same time I am reading books on how to become a computer engineer, a radio amateur, a swimming pool lifeguard (ties in with my fitness drive). In the recent past I have read up on how to become a driving instructor, a reiki healer, a guitarist or a drummer...well, you get the point by now.

I'm 44 and have been in dead end jobs all my life while all my life I have been devouring information like it is going out of fashion!! You name it and I have probably read about it and tried to figure out how I could make a living from it.

All through my recent life the words ADHD have cropped up regularly and, to be honest this condition seems to fit my lifestyle. However, I am not and probably never will be offically diagnosed with it.

It's only really on the internet that I have found other people like me. Most of my real life aqauintances think I am weird to the point of never really gettin gtoo close to me. Even my wife thinks I am too ocd for my own good sometimes!!

It's only really the real life need to pay the bills that prevents me from satisfying my craving for knowledge full time!!

[Cochonette]

Yeah, college is great for information; however, I actually developed this information addiction while in college. Still enjoyed my classes but lost interest in doing the work, was so focused on independent study.

[ar81]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

I became addicted to information last October when I became vegan. Then I wanted to know everything about veganism, and it turned out to be endless. I read every high quality blog I could find, started reading books, then started reading up on other social justice issues to make connections. Then I just got totally sucked into the information addiction. At least if I tell people how messed up my life is right now, I can say I am still learning and growing in some way and that I'm not entirely wasting my life, even if I'm living it very inefficiently. It's true... it's the only kind of addiction I'm actually kind of comfortable with. The other addictions make me extremely uneasy.

Thanks for the article on effectively reading blogs/forums. That's really helpful.

I think there is a difference between lots of enthusiasm and addiction.
Addiction takes place when it starts to disrupt your life and cause problems. For example, not eating or sleeping because of the addiction.

If it does not disrupt your life, I would think you have lots of intellectual curiosity.

There is also a new field to explore: Space travel.
Orbiter - A free space flight simulator
Be aware that their community is not as cool as Steve Pavlina's forums, as they have very big egos and it may be tough to get along with them.

But the experience of flying may be enjoyable and there is lots to learn and wonder, as long as you do not participate in the off topic forums and talk about religion or politics or you dare to question statu quo on the world.

The view from space is fabulous, so try to spend more time flying than posting at their forums.

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by jimmyk1006

At my school, you can get a degree in General Studies, which is like a bit of everything (which you might want). And by the way, no matter what your degree is, you still have to take Math, Science, English, History, and many other things to graduate. Plus, you have Electives, which are classes YOU want to choose for credit. You get several of those. So college isn't just about one thing, you study many things to get a degree. If you school has a website, they should have a list of degree options. If not, check with your school and see what degrees they offer. Again, you still have to take a bunch of stuff unrelated to your degree in order to get one.

Well that's the whole reason why I didn't want to get a degree, because in high school I barely got through math, I got D's in that, and I got low C's in history and science. (I'm tellin' ya, I am NOT smart LOL) English was the only class that came natural to me and I got B's in that. I will fail college if I have to take math, science or history. My best friend went for a liberal arts degree and math was required and he's better at math than I am, and he dropped out because it was too hard. He's a very smart person and if he had to drop out because of the math, I don't see how I could do it.

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by ydnab40

Wow rockchick. I read your original post and had to check to be sure it wasn't one of my posts lol!!

My problem is that I am always moving on to the "next big thing" whatever that is. At the moment it is trying to find out what my life purpose is. At the same time I am reading books on how to become a computer engineer, a radio amateur, a swimming pool lifeguard (ties in with my fitness drive). In the recent past I have read up on how to become a driving instructor, a reiki healer, a guitarist or a drummer...well, you get the point by now.

I'm 44 and have been in dead end jobs all my life while all my life I have been devouring information like it is going out of fashion!! You name it and I have probably read about it and tried to figure out how I could make a living from it.

All through my recent life the words ADHD have cropped up regularly and, to be honest this condition seems to fit my lifestyle. However, I am not and probably never will be offically diagnosed with it.

It's only really on the internet that I have found other people like me. Most of my real life aqauintances think I am weird to the point of never really gettin gtoo close to me. Even my wife thinks I am too ocd for my own good sometimes!!

It's only really the real life need to pay the bills that prevents me from satisfying my craving for knowledge full time!!

You might want to read this book that helped me (although it doesnt seem from this thread like it helped me but it did- Amazon.com: Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams (9781594866265): Barbara Sher: Books
After reading this book I figured out a plan for how to fit all of my interests into my life and what to do about a career. But that's a seperate problem from my insatiable quest for knowledge. In this book the author says it's not only ok but it's GOOD to be like me and you, with many interests. So I suggest reading it and you won't be so confused about how you are.

I also have the same problem you have, people in real life don't seem to "get" me like people on the internet do. I think the reason for this is because people in real life are much more judgemental because they are used to you being a certain way and if you want to change, the people around you aren't going to like it. I've found that since I've been getting into personal development and all these new interests, that I have very little in common with my real life friends anymore. I feel like I need to move past them, and the internet makes it so easy to find others just like you who accept you for who you really are because they don't know you any other way, and if they're into the same stuff, of course they're going to accept you. Also, think of how many friends you have in real life. It probably isn't more than 10 or 20. But you can get online and find 10 or 20 "friends" in a minute. So the odds are more in your favor that you will find online friends who are more accepting.

I've thought too that I might have OCD or ADHD, and maybe I do, but I feel like these interests I have are genuine, and I'm not just bouncing around for the sake of bouncing around, I really do want to learn about all these things!

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by ar81

I think there is a difference between lots of enthusiasm and addiction.
Addiction takes place when it starts to disrupt your life and cause problems. For example, not eating or sleeping because of the addiction.

If it does not disrupt your life, I would think you have lots of intellectual curiosity.

There is also a new field to explore: Space travel.
Orbiter - A free space flight simulator
Be aware that their community is not as cool as Steve Pavlina's forums, as they have very big egos and it may be tough to get along with them.

But the experience of flying may be enjoyable and there is lots to learn and wonder, as long as you do not participate in the off topic forums and talk about religion or politics or you dare to question statu quo on the world.

The view from space is fabulous, so try to spend more time flying than posting at their forums.

I checked this out, it sounded totally cool since I'd love to be an astronaut (but suck at math and science!)...correct me if I'm wrong but these are not real images, are they? They look like computer generated pictures. I'd rather spend time on Google Earth (which I have, for hours on end!)

[Froztwolf]

Don't forget though that books, internets and schools can only give you information, not knowledge. This is something I have been struggling with as I love to assimilate new information and my subject changes quite frequently. The important thing is not only to assimilate information but also find a way to put it to use. To make sure you understand the information on both a conscious and a subconscious level.

If you can't go to school and can't get a job, find a way to make money off one of the things you've been studying. If you don't know how, well you seem to have the will to learn new things so I'm not to worried about that.

[sidsavara]

To add to Froztwolf, information that you don't act on is not really useful. I used to read a lot of howto articles and not put them into action - if you're not acting on it, what's the point of learning it?

Especially with tech stuff. I used to read about and do tutorials for all kinds of software development tools, but never used them for my "real job." End result? I knew the tool really well, did not apply it to anything - and in a year my skills were out of date anyway because new versions come out, new languages, new libraries.

So be sure to not just absorb info - but act on it. That's what I try to do on my website - provide practical advice that people can use and act on today.

[Rockchick26]

That's my problem, I have an insatiable desire for information but I find myself too busy learning to have time to use any of it! Usually what happens is I'll be in the middle of learning something and it'll spark an interest in something else, it's like the snowball effect. The more I learn, the more I am exposed to which leads me to more things (most of them related to what I was already learning).

I did create a website about one of my favorite subjects, but the problem is, I am too busy learning and reading all the time that I rarely have time or even care to work on my website. I don't know how to get around that problem.