I'd figure out how to put laser beams on shark's heads and hold the world hostage for 1 million dollars!<p>No, really. I think I wouldn't start anything because without the internet and places like HN I'd never have found the courage to seek out new business ideas. I'd view failure as too high an obstacle and be content with climbing the corporate ladder through an established company.
I was toying with ideas for home automation systems before I discovered that the risk/reward curve for internet based businesses is pretty neat.<p>I do remember that home automation systems usually are the lowest priority while building a new house, so a good entry in the market would be to make it dead-easy to fit into an existing house. One solution I thought was viable were small bluetooth enabled switches any DIY guy can install either as a socket adaptor or to be installed in an existing light switch wiring.
This could then be hooked up by bluetooth or zigbee to check which devices are on and in the case of lights, turn them off remotely.<p>Advanced uses can be measuring and controlling power or simulating daytime routines when you are away on vacation as an anti-burglary measure.<p>Obviously I never built this, nor did I invest in acquiring the skillset to build this. However, I would have made the effort to get the skillset by now if the internet wouldn't have existed.
There wont be much change, besides chatting in #ai, #machinelearning and #lug-bremen, browsing the web for lol cats, and the like.<p>My startup is applying machine learning to industrial processes - and guess what - most factories, power plants, chemical plants or oil fields don't have internet.
Still computer games. The industry was small but wonderful in the pre-internet days.<p>Alternatively, I've always wanted to set up a fast food restaurant. Lot of work, but I think it'd be fun.
I would go door-to-door soliciting contributions to a new encyclopedia, mailing the improvements out as a "National Geographic"-style magazine/journal.
Is this an alternate universe where it's 2012 but we have a different set of technologies or is this in a previous period on this timeline? I tend to think that geeks go where the action is: For example if this was the 70s most of the folks here would be working the PC. I started my first company in 1989 and while the internet was around there was no easy way to use it, so we launched a dial-up BBS. We weren't able to monazite that so we focused on technologies like HyperCard and CD-ROMs.
I'd start a business that would have offices in the top 20 major commercial cities in the world and would trade physical commodities taking advantages of the price differences between these locations. My business would use telephone or telegraph.<p>The presence of the internet and ensuing information exchange reduces these price differences to make such a business nonviable.
I actually did a computer repair service for a bit in high school. I started with my parents recommending me for my service and word spread around quite a bit. I made a pretty nice amount fixing/replacing/upgrading hardware, backups, and recovery. Even if there was no internet, PCs still broke.
Right now I'm a contract developer (building web applications for clients) - if that wasn't possible (and, since it seems like a cop out, I'll ignore non-internet related programming) I'd likely be a carpenter/tinkerer (building physical things for clients).
By trade I am a broadcast engineer, but I like the simple things in life, in my past I always said I wanted a small rural restaurant/pub/hotel.<p>More recently my fiancée and I have discussed a small holding farming and opening a local produce deli. But this will probably be for early retirement, once I've made my millions...
A t-shirt printing company. I had one for a while in my basement before I moved to CA. Hand screen-printed thousands of shirts before it was over. I did take payment and orders over the internet, so I guess I would have to change that aspect.
I always wonder what I would have done for a career in a would without computers (broader than the original question, admittedly).<p>What I would like to have done: successful chain of kindergartens/soft play areas for kids<p>What I would probably have done: accountant :-(
No change. My startup's not primarily an internet-based venture. Its the marketing plan that requires a custom server app. Operations would be much different without the cloud.
From my own experience, without Internet, I will probably end up playing offline game and watching movies. So game dev and cd/dvd rental services are way to go.
Cheap space launch, using a cannon (Gerald Bull style). Basically being able to put a 100kg payload into LEO every hour for $50mm capex and $10-20k per launch.
Assuming we had all taken a wrong turn technologically ie the Internet concept had not occurred to someone, then Rocket Mail would be fun: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_mail" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_mail</a>