I cannot tell you enough; if it exists, you can find it for free on the Internet. I’m not talking about pirated movies and software here, I’m talking about information and education. A wealth of knowledge. I’ve learned how to do everything from make a nice red sauce to reduce a dislocated elbow online. I’m not even kidding, If you really want to learn how to do something, I’d be willing to bet someone else has already put together some nice lessons for you to review online!

I’d say that without a doubt, the first skill I ever learned from the Internet was playing the guitar. I certainly wouldn’t give all the credit to the Internet, but I would definitely say that I have spent countless hours in front of the computer with a guitar in my lap, teaching myself everything from tuning the guitar to learning complex scales.

Yes there are many many resources available for the budding musician on the net. the first tool I found myself using would be tablature, or tabs for short. It’s like sheet music but you don’t have to spend four years and chorus class learning how to read it. This is where I got my real foundation of musicianship. It was the mid nineties, and let me tell you there wasn’t a three chord Seattle grunge song out there that I didn’t at least try to play. I would encourage all of you interested in guitar or any other instrument to spend plenty of time online enjoying the many free services out there for you.

Now, I could go on and on about all the less interesting thing you can learn online, like how to cook authentic Cantonese cuisine, or nifty tricks for cleaning up around the house, but I prefer and not bore you. So let’s just stick to some of the cool things I’ve taught myself to do via Google. Okay?

A few years ago, I decided I really wanted a new fish tank, and a big one at that. I realized how expensive these things could be, so I was trying to think of a few alternatives. One alternative I came across was several sheets of 1/4" plate glass in my fathers shed. The sheets of glass were quite large. It couldn’t be that hard, could it? I decided to build an aquarium. There is TONS of info about this online! Let me recommend all the geniuses over at http://www.wetwebmedia.com These people know absolutely EVERYTHING there is to know about aquariums, fish, and even building tanks from scratch! They come at my absolute highest recommendation for reliable fish information on the net.

So I learned all I could about cutting glass for an aquarium. I watched a million videos, and I was ready. I built a new soft covered workbench, bought a glaziers wheel, and a straight edge. I was cutting glass. I can cut great glass for use in tables, windows, or anything else, but not an aquarium. I decided I just could not trust 100 gallons of water in my living room to my ability to build a quality aquarium. But you know what? I’ve found tons of other uses for my new skill! In fact, I cut some glass for use in my snake vivarium project. (you can come back and click after

Now, I mentioned earlier, I’ve even learned how to reduce a dislocated elbow online. Thats an interesting story, and before I tell it, let me say that all you critics can keep your comments to yourself. That being said…

When my daughter was very young, she threw a temper tantrum in a store, and while she was holding my hand, she dropped herself to the ground, and dislocated her elbow. When we took her to the hospital, the doctor told us it was called Nursemaids Elbow, and it was not uncommon in young children. He told us that once it has happened, it is very likely to happen again. So when he performed the reduction, he showed us how to do it as well. A year had gone by before the elbow separated again, this time from a overly anxious older brother "helping" her up onto my bed.

I was home alone, with three kids and no vehicle, and my daughter needed me.

I did not want to do anything without a refresher course, so I went online, and found a video detailing the procedure step-by-step. I watched the video a few times, went back upstairs, and reduced that elbow. I was so happy when it popped back in, because the relief is instant for the child, and she was no longer in agony. You can call me Dr. Bob.

So here’s a quick run down of some of the wonderful places to look for knowledge on this world wide web of ours.

ExpertVillage
eHow
Ultimate-Guitar
DoItYourself
WetWebMedia

Got more ideas, stories or comments, feel free to share!

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