Landscapes

From a professional standpoint, the "flatness" of my experience varies, depending on the situation. In both counseling and mediation, the process is best conducted in person, though recent advancements have allowed for mediation and counseling by internet, telephone, and viedoconference. But if I can get the relevant parties to sit in the same room with each other, I'm going to do it.
In terms of education and training, both professionally and academically, the amount of information and instruction available to me are nearly limitless. As a research assistant, I've been able to search for resources from my home computer, order books for pickup at the library, print relevant articles and email them to myself and my cooperating faculty. If I need library assistance, I can have a live chat with a librarian online. With the prospect of the new technology, such as the Qwaq forum, that we're beginning to experiment with in (and out of) the classroom, the restrictions of time and space are dissolving.
I do have some concerns about losing the quality of contact that an in-person encounter creates, particularly through non-verbal communications such as body language, facial expressions, and voice inflection. Videoconferencing technology is probably the most inclusive of all the options. Still, it's amazing what can be accomplished today across states, countries and the world. I look forward to exploring new opportunities for human connection, even if I do have to masquerade as a cartoonish-looking avatar!