[8699] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: One-way Internet?..no, it's "Asymetric"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Scott J. Carlson)
Tue Nov 30 21:18:04 1993
From: carlson@mhd1.moorhead.msus.edu (Scott J. Carlson)
To: Mark-Ludwig@uai.com (Mark R. Ludwig)
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1993 20:16:11 -0600 (CST)
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <9311302014.AA00101@hp.uai.com> from "Mark R. Ludwig" at Nov 30, 93 12:14:28 pm
'Mark R. Ludwig'
>
> >>>>> On Tue, 30 Nov 1993 11:36:22 -0800, smith@sfu.ca (Richard Smith) said:
>
> Ahh, the social implications of the technology...
>
> Richard> No doubt lurkers are a kind of Internet Couch Potato, but the
> Richard> *possibility* of posting is always there. Do we need to
> Richard> emulate broadcast TV in order to commercialize and privatize
> Richard> the internet?
>
> No.
I also agree with this point, NO, but I bet it will happen. Isn't
commercialization and privatization great? :)
>
> Richard> Is that what the vast majority of people really want, anyway,
> Richard> and we should stop kidding ourselves that they will pick up
> Richard> their electronic pens and fill the 'net with erudition once
> Richard> there is fibre in every home?
>
> I think the people who make money on "entertaining" us want us to
> think the vast majority of people really do want primarily one-way
> data flow. Even if consumers really do, I think that is exactly why
> we should _not_ give it to them. I don't understand how we ended up
> where we are today, but an awfully large number of people are bored
> with life, and implicitly expect someone else to entertain them.
>
> As evidence, this morning on NPR there was a report about teenagers
> illegally drinking alcohol. Popular reasons: (1) life sucks; (2)
> there's nothing better to do; (3) life's boring; ad nauseum. Was I so
> unusual at that age (15 years ago) spending my spare time and money on
> electrical parts (soldering irons, solder, wires, relays), model train
> parts, and piano sheet music all of which still have _some_ value
> today? The money spent on alcohol buys a lot of other stuff which is
> still around the next morning. But, I digress...
Of course it does, but how does one convince people that this is the way
to go. Spend money on things that don't make you happy and make you
forget what is going on momentarily. If there was one 'unifying' net to
connect everyone together, I still doubt that there would be enough
information there to satisfy your everyday joe who doesn't have the will
to access this information. I think life is boring if you don't do
anything about it. I was the same way, and I spend my money on toys
(instead of alcohol, drugs, etc) and I am sure that I get a longer lasting
pleasure out of these things than the one time 'hit'
If there was a way to allow everyone to view this new technology without
commercializing, etc. etc. etc. etc. (continue rambling of many people in
past and present)...
How would we represent this to people. I believe without first coming up
with a solution to present this in a acceptable way, then I don't think
that a final solution can be even set.
Scott Carlson
--
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This Message Compliments of:
Scott J. Carlson
Computer Science LAN Supervisor
Moorhead State University
Carlson@mhd1.moorhead.msus.edu
Carlson@mhdcs.moorhead.msus.edu
** Never Put off Till Tomorrow What you can avoid All Together **
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