Dear Tim Berners-Lee

Dear Mr. Tim Berners-Lee,

My name is Neil Marathe. I have used your service all but the first 6 years of my life. You don't know who I am. But I know you are. I have followed your life more than to the extent most should have. I even visited your old Oxford dorm room once (on a tour, haha , not that I was stalking you!) I find it appalling that more people don't know who you are. This is a letter on behalf of everyone who has ever used your service. But it is also a letter from me.

I remember the first time I came across your service. I was five. It was the year 2000. My uncle had told me about a dial up. He told me not to use the phone or pick up the phone. I didn't understand why and actually wanted to prank him by picking up the phone. But for some reason I didn't. And I'm glad I didn't. I came across your wonderful service.

On my computer there were many games, and something called "Microsoft Word". But never before had I used something called AOL and internet explorer. I remember to this day, the noises the servers made. I had never heard anything like them. Then came the "Welcome to AOL " sound. Another time I remember seeing the letter E for the first time. It was a small e as I had learnt in school. Over time I spent many time on these ...well I don't think the word product will give them justice. Over time I spent many a week on these portals to another dimension.

I came across many such portals and they all changed my life. I remember one such portal was manned by a butler named Jeeves. Another was one that sounded like something rude. I had heard the name on the Simpsons before. Sounded like oggle or oogiees. Wait was it boogies?.Or Bogies, like mucus? These portals were like my own personal homework helpers. If I didn't know anything I just had to ask Jeevees or goggle. These portals were even smarter than the Oxford Dictionary! One day another of your portals actually was an encyclopedia.

Your portals were a great help aged nine when I wanted a pet, but at the time my family couldn't have one. So I found out about Neopets, one of your portals. I spent much time playing with my four neopets and their petpets. And their petpetpets. Yes, it went that deep.

Some portals were Aucklands, no hang on auctions. Like hudson's bay...I mean ebay. Aged eleven, I brought a jar in which Brad Pitt had apparently farted in for a joke for £2.00. I traded my bag for some mud. Those were fun times.

Another portal was called Mini Clap. No wait Mini Clip! There were so many little pixelated dimensions that I could disappear to. I found that these had a collective name. MMORPGS. Over here I could combine everything from my universe such as money, marriage, pets, houses with killing dragons and going on epic quests whilst still meeting other people from my own universe in this fantastical setting. Now I had the best of 73 worlds!

As time passed,new portals appeared. There were portals to watch stupidity, portals to order food, portals to book tickets and portals to book hotels. One day my TV became hooked to your portals! Then my phone came with these portals!

But seriously these portals have changed my life. They allowed me to win a competition to meet Bill Gates. They allowed me to make pounds sterling from virtual currencies on those MMORPGS. They allowed me as an introvert to network. They allowed me to be there when I talked someone out of doing a mass shooting. They allowed me to be an activist and raise funds , both of which helped me change the world. They allowed me to find support communities for things that no one outside these portals could relate to. And this is just a condensed version!

I am very grateful to you for having created the internet. I am glad you were knighted , and that you were on the Time 100 people of the 20th century list. But I am shocked that more people don't know of your greatness. And that you were only the 99th greatest Briton to ever live in 2002! That list needs a revision! Without you there would have been a far poorer , sadder, deranged world.

So for that thank you so much Mr.Time Berners Lee,

Yours Sincerely,

Neil Marathe.