Elon University

Subtopic: General

Hypertext and Our Collective Destiny

I had (and still have) a dream that the Web could be less of a television channel and more of an interactive sea of shared knowledge. I imagine it immersing us as a warm, friendly environment made of the things we and our friends have seen, heard, believe or have figured out. I would like it to bring our friends and colleagues closer, in that by working on this knowledge together we can come to better understandings … The dream is that if everybody works from day to day using the Web as their notebook, mailer and calendar … then the scaling problems of teams and organizations could somehow be solved. This is a dream.

Basic Questions Dog Electronic Road

There seems little question that an electronic superhighway will exist. When, who will build it and how eager average Americans will be to use it are other questions. While many Americans seem interested, the convergence of so many technologies needs to be easy to use – in a single box at home, and at a price people are willing to pay. Some skeptics believe that, like existing computer networks, the superhighway will be navigated by an elite circle of techno-freaks.

Why the Web?

The more widespread and grassroots the Internet, the more difficult it will be to dominate and control it. You can contribute directly to the humanizing of the wires by telling your story, adding your persona to the unaffiliated.

The Pattern in the Mosaic

The Internet already is the data highway. What else is there to compete with 25 million users exchanging data? No single private company is going to build a worldwide system that can compete with it. It would cost too much money, and they’d be too far behind.

Why the Web?

The Web is the prototype for how people will relate by computer in the next century, and beyond. There may not be Web pages in 2010, but there will be an Internet, in one form or another.

The Pattern in the Mosaic

We’ll have a consolidation of long-distance voice and data communications into one model. The Internet is a more legitimate cost-effective way than a private network for a small organization to have worldwide reach.

Cliff Figallo of the WELL Named to EFF’s Cambridge Office

Pioneers in electronic or telecommunications media are establishing new definitions and structures for education, community, and cooperation every day. They are developing tools and systems which may prove to be vital to the salvation of the planet.