Chapter 1 Summary 

        I learned a lot of cool new things in this reading. See, I was always under the impression, when using any web browser, that using the back button would effectively refresh the previous page I had visited, downloading it again from the web server. I was surprised to find out that this isn’t the case at all, and that in fact the browser stores copies of previous webpages on a client’s hard drive to be referenced in the case that the client uses the back button. This is yet another example of the amount of time and effort that has been put into streamlining the experience of surfing the web for its consumers. 

        One topic in this reading that amazed me is the magnitude and prevalence of cookies left on computers by webpages every day. I was completely ignorant as to the amount of consumer information that is being tracked on a consistent, systemic basis, and it scared me. I immediately cleared all cookies from my browser after the reading and was subsequently amazed at the difference it made to my experience of surfing the web; so much ease of use I had taken for granted subconsciously just vanished. While I did lose some convenience, I had in the same way gained a new understanding of how greatly our web habits enact an automatic adaptation of these browsers to our demands. So then, it amazed me. 

        I actually really enjoyed changing my browser theme in chrome while following the text’s tutorial. I have always taken a more practical approach to my use of computers in the past, caring more about function than form, but looking back, I think I was wrong not to consider these little things as tools to encourage my productive use of the web. Speaking of the tutorials, I was pleasantly surprised that all I had to do to scroll down one page length on a webpage is press the space bar. It is easy to see that these shortcuts could save me a ton of time in the future. I’m a gamer, myself, and I play real time strategy games sometimes. They involve a high prioritization of speed and efficiency, and the proper use of hotkeys is one of the most important factors determining one’s speed. All in all, this was a solid chapter, and I gained new perspective from it; for what more could I ask?