[11675] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: PC Mag Bashes Internet! Good Job!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Stephen Covington)
Wed Apr 13 09:35:15 1994
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 23:29:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: Stephen Covington <cvington@netcom.com>
To: Kelly E Gibbs <kgibbs@world.std.com>
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <199404122129.AA15394@world.std.com>
On Tue, 12 Apr 1994, Kelly E Gibbs wrote:
>
> PC Mags attack on the Internet was long overdue. The Internet has become
> a junk yard of electronic news and mail. The information usually received
> from the Internet isn't worth reading.
What do you mean by "usually"? I subscribe to approximately 20 mailing
lists that sometimes take two hours to read, such as this one, communet,
etc., and I find most of the postings to be thoughtful if not thought
provoking. Of course, there are some that are repetitive, but I think
that much of that is due to poor editing skills on behalf of the poster.
> Once I thought the Internet would be something I could show my kids and
> let them learn from using it - however today it's filth and foul language
> idiots keep us at a distance.
Most of what I have seen on the Internet has been fairly interesting to
me, and I am no rocket scientist...just a 40+ year old with an interest
in reading, writing and learning. The only filth & foul language that I
have seen has been in some Usenet alt. posts.
My nine year old daughter is as fascinated with the "Net" as she was with
certain television based electronic game machines, and I keep her away
from the Usenet sections by sitting with her at the desk so that we can
learn together.
> This is what we call the Information Superhighway has turned out to be
> a dark backroad in Mississippi. Engineers have a lot to learn from
> the Internet's mistakes, and the government really needs to regulate
> what goes on.
Magazines and newspapers suffer from some of these same problems, but we
have learned to cull the wheat from the chaff. As for the "government
needing to regulate what goes on", I strongly disagree. If the government
was more like you and me, I wouldn't have a problem with it. They are not.
The government is fickle and changes with the loudest prevailing wind.
I have been a government employee for twenty-four years and I have seen
the winds blow.
> I back the Clinton on Clipper and other issues. The internet needs
> an authority, since you people have no conception that your abusing
> the public.
>
> Thanks.
>
Sir, YOU must be the authority as this is the most interactive, operator
responsive, mediums available. You must be the person that finds the
positive mailing lists, gopher sites, etc. for your children to view and use.
--Steve Covington
Gilroy, CA
