March 4, 2010 at 16:47Prophet 1995
- Transfer
This article was published in 1995 by Clifford Stoll, an American astronomer and Ph.D.
The author “perfectly” predicted the future of the Internet without guessing in almost every word. I would not play in his place at the races.
The original article is here , in English, and then - my, quite free, translation, for those who do not want English.
I’ve been familiar with online for a couple of decades, and I’ll tell you, I’m in confusion. No, of course I had a great time on the Internet. I met wonderful people, even a couple of hackers. But I am frankly concerned about the current state of this fashionable and very overrated community. Dreamers see a future in which you can work remotely, in which there are interactive libraries and multimedia classes. They talk about electronic city dealerships and virtual communities. They say that business and trade will move from offices and retail premises to the network. And that freedom of digital networks will help democratization.
Figures! Are our computer geniuses completely crazy? The truth is that not a single online databank will replace the morning newspaper, not one disc will replace a teacher, and no network will affect the work of the government.
[upd: moved to Humor on Habrahabr]
Here's a look at today's online world. Usenet, a worldwide forum, allows anyone to write posts throughout the country. Your words fly out to the general court without waiting for editors and publishers. Each voice can sound cheap and instant. And what is the result? All voices really sound. This cacophony is more reminiscent of a civilian radio broadcast, coupled with manipulation, harassment and anonymous threats. When everyone yells, they hear units. What about electronic publications? Try to read a book from disk. To put it mildly - a thankless job: instead of the usual paper pages, you get the flickering radiance of a clumsy computer. And do not you drag this laptop to the same beach? Nicholas Negroponte, director of the Multimedia Laboratory at MIT, predicts that we will soon buy books and newspapers directly over the Internet. Yeah, well.
Internet lobbyists are not telling you that the Internet itself is one big ocean of unstructured information, without any claim to integrity. For the lack of editors, reviewers and critics, the Internet has become a dump of unfiltered data. You do not know what to score, and what is worthy of attention. Once I searched the Internet for the date of the Battle of Trafalgar. There were hundreds of results, and I rummaged for about 15 minutes - there is a biography of some eighth-grader, a computer game that does not work, and a photograph of the monument in London. No one answered my question, and the search was periodically interrupted by messages like “Too many connections. Try later."
Will the government use the Internet? There are always many promises about this. But when Andy Spano ran for the head of Westchester County (New York State), he posted all his press releases and programs on the forum. And in this wealthy state, with a bunch of computer companies, how many voters saw it? Less than 30. Such a sad story.
In one click:
There are also those who push computers to schools. We are told that multimedia will make education fun and interesting. Students will be happy to listen to animated characters, learning with the help of perfectly polished software. Well, who needs teachers if there is a computer education? Ha! These expensive toys are too complex to use in the classroom and require extensive knowledge. Of course, children like video games - but look at it from the other side: can you recall at least one useful educational film in the last decade? But I'm sure you recall two or three wonderful teachers who changed your life.
Or here is an online business. We were promised quick catalog purchases - just in one click. Like, we will buy air tickets through the network, book tables in restaurants and discuss trade offers. Shops, they say, will become superfluous. So why does my local supermarket make more money in half a day than the entire Internet in a month? And even if there was a credible way of sending money through the network - and it simply does not exist - the Internet lacks the main component of capitalism - sellers.
What is missing e-wonderland? Human communication. Let's put aside the servile tech-mumble about virtual communities. Computers and networks are isolated from each other. A line in a network chat is just a miserable substitute for talking with friends over a cup of coffee. Not a single interactive multimedia screen is even close with the impressions of a live concert. And who would prefer cybersex to real sex? And as long as the Internet calls and beckons, like a radiant icon that says “Knowledge is Power!”, They are only trying to deprive us of our time in the real world. This is only a miserable surrogate, this virtual reality, where only a lot of disappointments await us, and where - in the name of great Cognition and Progress - the most important components of human communication are mercilessly depreciated.
1995
Now, among other activities, Stoll sells bottles of Klein through the Internet .
The author “perfectly” predicted the future of the Internet without guessing in almost every word. I would not play in his place at the races.
The original article is here , in English, and then - my, quite free, translation, for those who do not want English.
I’ve been familiar with online for a couple of decades, and I’ll tell you, I’m in confusion. No, of course I had a great time on the Internet. I met wonderful people, even a couple of hackers. But I am frankly concerned about the current state of this fashionable and very overrated community. Dreamers see a future in which you can work remotely, in which there are interactive libraries and multimedia classes. They talk about electronic city dealerships and virtual communities. They say that business and trade will move from offices and retail premises to the network. And that freedom of digital networks will help democratization.
Figures! Are our computer geniuses completely crazy? The truth is that not a single online databank will replace the morning newspaper, not one disc will replace a teacher, and no network will affect the work of the government.
[upd: moved to Humor on Habrahabr]
Here's a look at today's online world. Usenet, a worldwide forum, allows anyone to write posts throughout the country. Your words fly out to the general court without waiting for editors and publishers. Each voice can sound cheap and instant. And what is the result? All voices really sound. This cacophony is more reminiscent of a civilian radio broadcast, coupled with manipulation, harassment and anonymous threats. When everyone yells, they hear units. What about electronic publications? Try to read a book from disk. To put it mildly - a thankless job: instead of the usual paper pages, you get the flickering radiance of a clumsy computer. And do not you drag this laptop to the same beach? Nicholas Negroponte, director of the Multimedia Laboratory at MIT, predicts that we will soon buy books and newspapers directly over the Internet. Yeah, well.
Internet lobbyists are not telling you that the Internet itself is one big ocean of unstructured information, without any claim to integrity. For the lack of editors, reviewers and critics, the Internet has become a dump of unfiltered data. You do not know what to score, and what is worthy of attention. Once I searched the Internet for the date of the Battle of Trafalgar. There were hundreds of results, and I rummaged for about 15 minutes - there is a biography of some eighth-grader, a computer game that does not work, and a photograph of the monument in London. No one answered my question, and the search was periodically interrupted by messages like “Too many connections. Try later."
Will the government use the Internet? There are always many promises about this. But when Andy Spano ran for the head of Westchester County (New York State), he posted all his press releases and programs on the forum. And in this wealthy state, with a bunch of computer companies, how many voters saw it? Less than 30. Such a sad story.
In one click:
There are also those who push computers to schools. We are told that multimedia will make education fun and interesting. Students will be happy to listen to animated characters, learning with the help of perfectly polished software. Well, who needs teachers if there is a computer education? Ha! These expensive toys are too complex to use in the classroom and require extensive knowledge. Of course, children like video games - but look at it from the other side: can you recall at least one useful educational film in the last decade? But I'm sure you recall two or three wonderful teachers who changed your life.
Or here is an online business. We were promised quick catalog purchases - just in one click. Like, we will buy air tickets through the network, book tables in restaurants and discuss trade offers. Shops, they say, will become superfluous. So why does my local supermarket make more money in half a day than the entire Internet in a month? And even if there was a credible way of sending money through the network - and it simply does not exist - the Internet lacks the main component of capitalism - sellers.
What is missing e-wonderland? Human communication. Let's put aside the servile tech-mumble about virtual communities. Computers and networks are isolated from each other. A line in a network chat is just a miserable substitute for talking with friends over a cup of coffee. Not a single interactive multimedia screen is even close with the impressions of a live concert. And who would prefer cybersex to real sex? And as long as the Internet calls and beckons, like a radiant icon that says “Knowledge is Power!”, They are only trying to deprive us of our time in the real world. This is only a miserable surrogate, this virtual reality, where only a lot of disappointments await us, and where - in the name of great Cognition and Progress - the most important components of human communication are mercilessly depreciated.
1995
Now, among other activities, Stoll sells bottles of Klein through the Internet .