the only ham i care about is glazed (with Pineapples). However, I was talking with a ham guy the other night. It occured to me that ham radio was a means of international communication before the Internet. most blogs are a static form of broadcast sent into nowhere. At least the ham guys talk to one another in real time.
Right you are. And hams have more exotic means of communication in addition to good old shortwave. Years before the Internet became popular, many ham radio operators had modems and computers hooked up to their radios and used packet radio to communicate digitally (and packet radio is still popular). Also the Russian MIR space station had an amateur radio station on board, as did some Space Shuttle missions and as does the International Space Station. And hams have had their own communication satellites (that they built themselves) for forty years.
A lot of young people grew up learning about technology, math, geography, etc. thanks to ham radio. And I would rather see a child collect stamps than be obsessed with the latest video game. Who is likely to have a better future? The youngster who is into amateur radio/shortwave listening and/or stamp collecting or the child whose proudest achievement is learning how to play "Grand Theft Auto"?