Libraries have a nifty system for storing books … The Internet, however, has no such organization – files are made available at random locations. To search through this chaos, we need smart tools.
Predictor: Stoll, Clifford
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “Silicon Snake Oil,” writer Clifford Stoll shares his take on the Internet’s future implications:”Will tomorrow’s library resemble today’s Internet? Without librarians, I find utter disorganization: right next to photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope, I find economic statistics from the state of Maryland. Network resources are chaotically scattered; some files are cataloged, other aren’t, still others are mislabeled … Libraries have a nifty system for storing books … The Internet, however, has no such organization – files are made available at random locations. To search through this chaos, we need smart tools.”
Biography:Clifford Stoll was an astrophysicist who also wrote the influential books “Silicon Snake Oil” (1995) and “The Cuckoo’s Egg.” A long-time network user, Stoll made “Silicon Snake Oil” his platform for finding fault with the Internet hype of the early 1990s. He pointed out the pitfalls of a completely networked society and offered arguments in opposition to the hype. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Libraries/Databases
Name of publication: Silicon Snake Oil
Title, headline, chapter name: Wherein the Author Considers the Future of the Library, the Myth of Free Information, and a Novel Way to Heat Bathwater
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 195
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Tencer, Elizabeth L.