I'm not sure it was really a learning thing, but the most interesting/exciting thing I've ever watched was the first Space-X launch that successfully landed. I totally geeked out, and was totally caught up in the excitement of the team.

I like that any question that I have can be researched online. I can't think of anything specific as I have learned many many things.

That is an great question and one I also find difficult to answer. I most appreciate the ability to research any subject, word, area of study, current event or historical event. I was fascinated by being able to track my DH's progress in flight when he went to Colorado. I like being able to text instead of calling and to google how to fix something. I am less interested in FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, etc because, as useful as they are for some, I rarely learn anything I needed to know on any of them.

So much but the most rewarding was finding family members from genealogy sites. I also enjoy reading newspapers over a hundred years old and finding pictures of relatives.

It has also been helpful in planning trips in our motorhome.

How easy it is to repair cars than I thought. Often. Not always

I can not pick a thing, but I have learned so many things I did not know about many things others have asked about.

I can do! Yes, that is what I learned, via youtube. :)

Moni

There's so much I've learned...medical, scientific, vocabulary, trip planning, history, making friends, finding old friends, dancing, etc. But one thing that surprised me was, after all these years of knitting and crocheting, how much more I've learned thanks to youtube.

That I can ‘get lost’ in almost anything I start to research. I geek out on anything rocket related too since that is my background.

I almost always learn something interesting about whatever plant I am considering for my garden. I also learn interesting things about the places we are planning to travel to when I’m planning our travel. It helps with structuring our itinerary.

How to stop the situational depression before I spiral down. How to question my stories beliefs and presuppositions, and question the stories others have, more clearly.

I haven't been able to crack the code on my procrastination. It's an ongoing struggle. I try to be kind to myself about it though, as opposed to self berating/abusive. Being kind to myself is another thing learned on the net.

The most recent was learning about Jolabokaflod (Christmas Book Flood), an Icelandic tradition. If you are a reader, or know one, this may be of interest to you. We adopted a modified version of it this year at my house. Fun.

https://www.treehugger.com/culture/icelanders-give-books-christmas-eve.html

perennialfan, my screen name is taken from rhizosphere, that zone in which mycorrhizal relationships are formed. I did my first research study on ecto- and endo-mycorrhizae over thirty years ago and still feel like science has only scratched the surface of what we need to know about interrelationships between soil, plants, water, air, and the macro- and microorganisms

Way back when I got my first computer, (windows 95) I learned so much online about computers. I couldn't wait to check out the Computer Help forum ( once I found it) and other computer help sites.

I think the most prevalent thing I've learned from the internet is how so many people have trouble distinguishing between authoritative, good information and unauthoritative and incorrect bunk.

Good information has always been available but it wasn't necessarily accessible instantaneously. It took some time to go to the library, go to a bookstore, or find a person with the knowledge to speak to. These approaches worked fine throughout my lifetime and still do.

By contrast, bad information has also never been more available, never been more accepted without question, and has never had as much impact on people as it has now. I could start a website tomorrow offering made-up and preposterous "facts" on any topic - some people will be doing just that. If I made it look "real" and attractive and was vague enough with make belief creds, people would accept what I said and the bogus info would spread.

I detest the term "fake news" because I think it's a disinformation tool used by those with no other means to dispute valid journalistic findings. I'm not concerned, it will go away when the people who use it go away, which is not too long from now. But the term "fake facts" means something and it's a problem worth keeping in mind.

That there is such a thing as an Escape Room that people go to like an amusement park! I had no idea! I'd heard of escape rooms - rooms where people go for safety (like the one in Jody Foster's movie "Panic Room"). But I'd never heard of this new "thing". Who knew?

I've learned many things over the years on the internet, but silly as it may sound, learning that real baby food chicken is great for a cat that is finicky was a great thing to learn. However now both cats are spoiled to getting some baby food every night as a treat. LOL

I first learned of Centered Riding online. It was a life changer for me. I would not have the joy of riding and working with horses at this later stage of my life had I not happened upon the concept.

That would be the way the internet affected my personal quality of life presently.

How easy it is to start researching a topic. After many years of working as a research and reference librarian (pre-internet) I am astounded at the amount of info at your fingertips. Yes, Elmer is absolutely correct that too many people are unable to discern the difference between fact and fiction and unfortunately that's not going to change. But when I think of the hours I used to spend trying to locate an owner's manual for a 1967 Mustang or the lyrics to a 18th century political song or a historical map or helping kids with homework I have to shake my head in wonder at what is now so readily available.

I love the factoids you can learn like Queen Victoria was NOT an only child but had a half brother and sister both of whom she lived with(especially sister) so almost everything you ever read about her is garbage and that knitting is such a new thing-just a few hundred years. Ancient humanity twined and even wove but they did not knit or crochet (even newer). Cool stuff.

This is certainly not the most interesting thing but was totally blown away that we found a fix for something that must have been one in a million.

My son's friend brought his Wii (Nintendo video game) drum set over to our house. Somehow one of the boys got sillyputty stuck to the drum top. It seemed impossible to remove it without ripping the foam like top on the drum. My son googled the problem. Sure enough it happened to someone else and they posted the solution to remove the silly putty. It was rubbing alcohol, worked perfectly. I was then instantly sold on the benefits of Google.

Have learned many useful and un-useful things. Right now I am trying to make a rag rug using old sheets with a big crochet hook. Never crochet before so I'm just practicing.

I find fixes for electronic problems the vehicles have, the dealer doesn't know about, or even stock the part....and it cures it! I also look up property values for future purchases. Read reviews for products. I Purchased THIS exact product for $223 instead of $419.95. Recently I looked up "Prayer Trees".

The internet is invaluable!

This is a great question! The most valuable things I have learned on-line are good painting techniques, how to completely rehab 100+ year old house windows, and how to repair a malfunction in my Toyota Sienna motorized back seats using scrunchies.

The most interesting things I have learned is that some people are immensely talented and incredibly generous with their knowledge (see above paragraph), and, on a different note, how differently other people perceive the world. I used to believe that everyone viewed the world about the same as I did. That is so not true, and I'm not just talking about politics.

From GardenWeb, I have learned that I live a pretty charmed life which has resulted from a stable childhood and amazing good health.

When I became interested in making jewelry, I knew absolutely nothing about it. A local bead store helped me get started with some basic tools and showed me how to string some beads on wire and crimp the ends. That got me hooked, but the internet is where I learned so many of the techniques I use today from a wrapped loop to much more complicated wire weaves and wrapping. My next goal is to teach myself how to use a torch. I've already learned how to make balled headpins and basic fold forming; fusing and soldering is on my list along with setting stones. The generosity of the members of online jewelry forums, bloggers and youtube video producers in sharing their knowledge for free is something I very much appreciate. I'm now in a position to share knowledge with others and I gladly do that to pay it forward.

Another favorite past time is looking up recipes, cooking techniques and nutritional information. Like many of the rest of you, I also like to look up obscure facts and information. I love that a question can randomly pop into my head and I can instantly look up the answer.

We travel a lot and the internet has made it possible to learn about the area we want to visit, plan an itinerary and book excursions, airline ticks and hotel rooms without ever leaving our house.

Online selling sites like Etsy, Ebay, Artfire and Amazon Handmade, along with others, have made it possible for small crafters like myself to sell their products to a world wide market. We used to be limited to local craft/art shows and home sales parties, but now people can extend their reach beyond their wildest imaginations. Twitter, FB, Pinterest and Instagram make is possible to market products for free or little cost and reach huge numbers of people. It's possible to build one's own website if they wish to go out on their own and bypass the selling sites.

Besides all of the above, the internet can bring people together to form very real communities such as the one we have here at the KT. I have met some of the nicest people online who have become friends more precious to me than some of the people I know in real life. The kindness, compassion, wisdom, knowledge and generosity of these people can be humbling. I find myself laughing at their jokes and stories, crying along with them during times of grief and troubles, celebrating accomplishments and milestones, admiring their talents and sharing advice when one hits a stumbling block.

For all the negatives, and there are some, it's really opened up entire new worlds to so many of us. For those who are home bound, it can be their only contact with other people which makes it possible to have a social life. Families that are spread far and wide can stay in touch and the older generations can have very real relationships with the young generations. It's a wonderful thing for grandparents/grandchildren who live hundreds or thousands of miles apart.

I have raised waterlilies since 1967. It was a very unusual hobby back then. However, in the '80's, watergardening became much more popular. I helped form the International Watergardening Society, and made several really good friends, who, like myself, had been doing this for years.

I didn't get a computer until after my daughter went to college in the fall of 1999, but when I did, I found many people who shared my interest. I joined a forum and answered questions about waterlilies, ponds, spawning fish, etc. for several years. I also traded waterlilies, and outright gave away many waterlilies, mailing out more than 100 every summer. I can't say that I learned anything about waterlilies on line....but I learned a lot from my friends in the '80's and I made many good friends when I did get on the internet.

That there are so many recipes at the tips of my fingers. I input a couple of ingredients that are in the fridge/pantry and out pops all sorts of ideas for dinner.

Hmmm-m-m-m-m-m . . . . . . . . A very good question. And one I really can't answer with just one answer, even after thinking about it for days, and reading all the above posts.

I feel like I learn something new every day, and I can agree with all of the above posts, too.

I often wonder just how we managed to survive and thrive before computers, smart phones and Internet access!

Rusty

I learned that the change from the Julian calendar to the improved Gregorian calendar was not smooth, and that there were groups who did not change for a lengthy period.

During your genealogy research, we have found things about early US history that did not appear in out school books. One example is the Wyoming valley in Pennsylvania. (That region today is known as the Wilkes-Barre region.) In its early history, there was a fracas between the Connecticut Yankees and the Pennites over that valley when both groups tried to settle in it. The problem grew from charters penned carelessly by the Crown in England. The wording of the charters created an overlap in the Wyoming valley and resulted in a 'serious dispute' between the two groups. The dispute was temporarily suspended by the Revolutionary War. After the war, the colonies were on their own, formed their own governments, and were free to settle boundary disputes among themselves. The colonies entered a period of forming a new nation and the Wyoming War faded away to become a footnote in our history.