What can we use internet for?

[desertman123]

TV. Most shows now stream the show over the internet.

[ghosstt]

Skype requires a computer

Or is there like a stand alone skype phone you can buy?

[nitro2k01]

What's going on here? Trying to convince your parents to get an internet connection to save money?
Play games online on your DS/PSP. (But you couldn't do that before anyway)
And besides, the thing you mentioned in you first post don't require wi-fi anyway. You DSL modem might have a phone connection if it's a classy model. (Where you plug in a regular landline phone for VoIP) Buying a radio that can tune in internet radio over wi-fi will probably cost you more than your current FM or even XM radio. (As opposed to just listening on your computer)

[madc0w]

Its still cheaper and much more useful to just buy a computer. Just buy a cheap used computer of craigslist or something, hook it up to your TV with Boxee, and use it for movies, music, Web Browsing, tv, etc.

[palmertech]

How are you talking to us without a computer?

[madc0w]

Library im assuming.

[ghosstt]

Or at work, or iPhone/iTouch.

[madc0w]

Im assuming he doesnt have an Itouch/iphone if he doesn't have a computer.

[Kurt_]

You're forgetting most major companies have a cap on monthly bandwidth usage. More bandwidth costs more money.

Oh, and if your internet goes down, you're screwed. A Landline is essential, in my opinion, for emergencies, since they run on a different system.

An example:

An earthquake knocks out your house's power.

You turn on the radio to listen to what's going on... but your radio relies on the internet, which needs wall power. Your neighbours are listening to the emergency broadcast with their hand-crank radio.

You call up your family to see if they're okay, you heard their house was right on the fault line, but the line is dead, because it relies on your internet.

[madc0w]

Actually, a lot of companies don't have caps, or have pretty high caps in the US. Also, without a computer and just a skype phone, I don't think hes gonna hit that cap very soon.

[eagle5953]

Yes Kurt, but to take your argument to its logical conclusion, we should then live like the Amish. When the power goes out, they don't even notice, and they usually have to help out those who can't deal with no power.

Ditching landlines is the wave of the future - 15% of Americans already have, I saw somewhere. That's only going to increase. Yeah, there are drawbacks, but there always are when change is involved.

However, I'm not saying you should switch to skype or something exclusively. Most people who ditch their landlines do it in favor of cell phones, not VOIP. And cell phones work when the power is out, too. It's something to consider.

You can't always make a financial argument for everything. Take video games, for example. The are completely unnecessary to survival. They are entertainment, and a fairly expensive form at that. However, if you enjoy it, it can be worth it to you. That doesn't mean it makes financial sense, objectively speaking. In short, you may need to take a different tack in arguing this with your parents.

[tom61]

You turn on the radio to listen to what's going on... but your radio relies on the internet, which needs wall power. Your neighbours are listening to the emergency broadcast with their hand-crank radio.

You call up your family to see if they're okay, you heard their house was right on the fault line, but the line is dead, because it relies on your internet.

Err, I prefer internet radio to regular radio for entertainment, but that doesn't mean that there aren't mulitple old-style radios around the house for emergencies. It doesn't save to get rid of them, and most only have minimal value if sold. So, old-fashioned radio being gone entirely in that household is very unlikely. If they had XM or Sirius, that wouldn't have helped in emergencies anyway, AFAIK.

I had a VOIP modem from the cable company. I was relocating the modem, so I unplugged it. The lights on it did not turn off... I was like "WTF?" for a second, then realized it had an internal UPS, for situations such as you described. Just because it uses internet, doesn't mean it dies with the power grid, at least not immediately. You could get the same effect on a two part system by plugging the modem and receiver into an UPS. Without a PC on the UPS, they can last quite a while powering small electronics, like a router, modem and telephone interface. Then there's also cell phones, as already mentioned. Pre-paids can be quite cheap, if you don't use the phone much.