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**************************************************************************
NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY : May 21, 1994
**************************************************************************
Networks and Community is devoted to encouraging LOCAL resource creation &
GLOBAL resource sharing.
**************************************************************************
The 19th report of 1994 is the 25th weekly survey.
**************************************************************************
**************************************************************************
Coverage in this issue includes:
Global Community
News From The World
Internet Tools: Internet Computer Index (ICI)
Services: Governing in the Information Age
Timely Thoughts: Essay from a com-priv list discussion
Help!!!
##########################################################################
Global Community
##########################################################################
This past week, a few of us became embroiled in a discussion of
"politics" in the Communet discussion list. The topic was brought up as
a result of a post by Ed Schwartz, commented on by Mr.Todd, and
"critiqued" by yours truly! It was then shot down by others on the list
pointing out correctly that the list topic is "Community Networking".
The thread then metamorphosed to "can we get back to..." and may still be
there wandering in cyberspace. Well, little did I realize how quickly
that discussion would impact me in my own life.
I am in the planning stages of setting up a community network in
Gilroy California. Gilroy is a small city about 25 miles south of San
Jose, Ca. Our population is 34000, with an ethnic blend of about 50/50
"hispanic" to "anglo". Gilroy is most known for our annual "Garlic
Festival" held the last full weekend in July.
Up until about two years ago, ours was the prototypical "quiet,
little town". The peaceful nature of Gilroy changed when for the first
time, our police department was involved in a deadly shoot-out with a
despondent local citizen.
Two officers were seriously wounded and the young man that began
the shoot out was killed. Since that time, we have had other purported
"gang" related activities and another police shoot out. As in other
towns, this has caused tensions to increase between ethnic groups.
Also, as with everywhere else, the gap between haves and have nots has
widened considerably. Graffiti abounds and the kids complain of nothing
to do and nowhere to go. All of the involved blame this on the others,
so that nothing gets done and no-one is responsible. Fairly typical
worldwide, I'd say.
Getting back to the topic of Community computing, I have been
approaching local businesses, community groups, school groups, library
groups and the like to gather input on what they would like to see if a
system was set up. As you that have gone before me have found out,
very few folks even know what the heck you're talking about. They think
that it's a great idea though, and "come back when you have the cost
breakdowns, we'll help you then" is a common reply. Not a problem... I
was a firefighters union president for many years and I'm used to that.
Problems are like ice cream cones, they're there to be licked!
When I spoke with the CEO of our local Chamber of Commerce, the
discussion of "community" quickly enlarged from computing to using the
system for bringing people together. At Cupertino, we discussed adding
value to our systems after they come online so that initial logons grow
from the curious to include others in the community that have never used
the modems in their computers. Obviously, to draw in those that don't
even HAVE computers, many choices must be made, funding arranged, and a
REASON for joining the digital generation made irresistable.
We are bringing together a diverse, activist, group of folks that
are motivated to develop a model program to use computers to access each
other, city government, labor groups, church groups, etc. We feel that
the initial step of bringing these folks together to discuss community,
then community networks, will give us a solid basis to begin this
endeavor. The fact that the Chamber wants to assist in the organization
for reasons other than the benefits possibly available to business,
surprised me and hopefully bodes well for this project.
If this does not become a "political" community network, I will
be quite amazed.
-steve covington
##########################################################################
NEWS of the WIRED & WEIRD **** Received from various sources
##########################################################################
Forwarded by Gleason Sackman - InterNIC net-happenings moderator
*************************************************************************
Subject: E-d-u-p-a-g-e 05/15/94 through 05/21/94 EDITED BY MYSELF
*************************************************************************
THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD TO HAVE 2.5 COMPUTERS
Dallas market research firm Channel Marketing projects that 109.1
million computers will be sold in the U.S. in 1999, and that by that time
American houeholds will on average have 2.5 PCs. (Atlanta
Journal-Constitution 5/15/94)
HIGH-TECH COURT
In a move to save lawyers time and money, the Quebec Court of
Appeal announced it will become the first judicial body in Canada to allow
lawyers to argue motions and plead cases using video-conferencing
technology. (Toronto Globe & Mail 5/14/94 A5)
SMALL BUSINESS COMPUTER EXPORT HOTLINE
The Canadian government will set up a nationwide computer hotline
to provide small businesses with a "how to" for cashing in on export
opportunities. (Ottawa Citizen 5/13/94 F3)
BARBARIANS AT THE CYBERGATE
The New York Times reports hostility and aggression are spreading
in cyberspace, and network experts are worried about the future of the
electronic community. A rash of newcomers in the last year or two has
undermined the tradition of rational self-government and the democratic
exchange of ideas. Commenting on the recent incident where two lawyers
advertised their services to Usenet groups and were subsequently vilified,
a University of California at San Diego professor observes, "If such events
become routine -- and there's very little technical or legal reason why
they won't -- then the whole net will basically collapse through
flame-wars, the closing of e-mail discussion groups to outsiders and
whatever." (Tampa Tribune 5/15/94 B2)
A CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS?
A Corporation for Public Telecommunications, patterned on the CPB
model, could do the same thing for the information superhighway that public
broadcasting did for television many years ago, by sponsoring high-quality
educational and cultural digital information services for
computer,telephone and cable television networks. (The American School
Board Journal 5/94 p.40)
POSSIBLE SHARED JURISDICTION OVER TELECOMMUNICATION
The Canadian federal government may delegate some of its power over
communications to the provinces following protests by Quebec over a recent
Supreme Court ruling that confirmed exclusive federal jurisdiction in this
area. (Toronto Star 5/12/94 A15)
ISDN COMING INTO ITS OWN
After many years of false starts, Integrated Services Digital
Network is developing into a viable choice for communications users. There
were more than 125,000 ISDN lines in service at the end of 1993, and the
number's expected to grow to 1 million by the end of 1997. "Pricing is
breeding ISDN," says the president of a telecommunications firm.
(Telecommunications 5/94 p.18)
MASCULINE/FEMININE
Men typically imagine computer devices that can help them "conquer
the universe," says Jan Hawkins, director of the Center for Children &
Technology, whereas women want machines that meet people's needs, "the
perfect mother." The center's associate director, Cornelia Bruner, says if
everyone approached technology the way women do, "we wouldn't be pushing
envelopes... Most women, even those who are technologically sophisticated,
think of machines as a means to an end." (Newsweek 5/16/94 p.48)
SAN DIEGO TAKES THE INITIATIVE IN TELECOM
San Diego wants a broadband fiber network and it isn't waiting for
state and federal governments or "convergence" to make it happen. The city
is soliciting bids from telephone and cable companies, the local electrical
utility, universities and even the U.S. Navy. "We want to conjure up ways
in which we can use this technology in a way that makes sense in a business
context," says a city management assistant. (Multichannel News 5/9/94)
NETWORKING CHIP STATS
The market for transmission and networking chips is expected to
reach $1 billion by 1997, up from $346 million in 1992. These chips are
integral to many leading edge communications applications. (Investor's
Business Daily 5/10/94 A6)
WOMEN FAVOR E-MAIL OVER E-MALL
A survey conducted by an online publication reveals that more than
66% of the women surveyed log on to an electronic service at least once a
day and the same number spends at least $20 a month on online fees. Top on
their list is interacting with editors, writers and other readers, with
Internet access ranking second. Only 6% considered shopping, banking or
travel services a priority. (Tampa Tribune 5/9/94 B&F3)
GETTING RUSSIA ON THE TELEPHONE
Modernizing the telecommunications system is a high priority within
Russia, a country that spans 11 time zones, and which has only 11 to 15
lines for every 100 people, compared to 70 lines for 100 people in the U.S.
American and other telecom companies see Russia as a potential $120 billion
market. (New York Times 5/10/94 C2)
NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT SECURITY
"No security measure is 100% effective," says Ed Krol, author of
The Whole Internet User's Guide. "Any precaution that allows some people
access and excludes others can be attacked. The goal is not guaranteed
security, because guaranteed security leads to a system that is unusable by
its legitimate users. The goal is to make things so difficult as to
discourage hackers and send them looking for easier pickings." (The
Sciences May/June 94 p.44)
SURGE OF ELECTRONIC NEWSPAPERS
More than 2,700 newspapers are now experimenting with one or
another kind of electronic venture, says The Kelsey Group, compared to only
42 in 1989; part of the urgency for the experiment is that almost half of
young people 18 to 24 years old don't read newspapers at all. The Palo Alto
Weekly (http://www.service.com/PAW/home.html) is the only
general-circulation newspaper now on the Internet. (U.S.News & World Report
5/16/94 p.60)
INTERNET TOP TEN BEST-SELLING BOOKS
CPU Publishing Update says the top ten best-selling books on the
Internet are: 1. Whole Internet User's Guide (Krol); 2. The Internet
Complete Reference (Hahn & Stout); 3. Internet for Dummies (Levine); 4. Mac
Internet Tour Guide (Ventana); 5. Complete Internet Directory (Braun); 6.
The Internet Companion Plus (LaQuey); 7. Internet Starter Kit for the Mac
(Hayden); 8. The Internet Navigator (Glister); 9. Connecting to the
Internet (Estrada); 10 Zen and the Art of the Internet (Kehoe). (Internet
Business Report May 94 p.5)
INFO HIGHWAYS FOR THE FUTURE, POLICY FOR NOW
"Ten years from now you're still going to be looking at Dan Rather
and his successors," predicts Andrew Schwartzman of the Media Access
Project, who insists that policy makers should concentrate on traditional
reforms (e.g., the Fairness Doctrine and rules barring phone companies from
controlling information content on its wires), rather than be distracted by
future hype that will allow the information highway to be controlled by
three or four companies. (Common Cause Magazine Spring 94 p.17)
THE INFORMATION ECONOMY
New York Times writer John Markoff says in a recent Educom Review
that "traditional market behavior may not be suited for an information
economy in which things of great value can be endlessly replicated."
(Washington Technology 5/5/94)
DEVELOPING NATIONS LEAPFROG WITH CELLULAR
Cellular networks in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines are
expanding so rapidly that they may leapfrog traditional networks to become
the most common form of telephone service. In South America, so many
Venezuelans are carrying C-phones that some restaurants require customers
to check them at the door to control the noise level. (St. Petersburg Times
5/16/94 Business p.2)
CANADIANS TO DRIVE CYBER-NETWORK, MINISTER PLEDGES
Handing out $12.5-million in grants to builders of the info
highway, the Canadian government wants to put private companies in the
driver's seat of the coming cyber-network of interactive education,
medicine and entertainment. (Ottawa Citizen 5/17/94 D8)
CABLE BLASTS TELCO TACTICS
Canadian cable company Rogers Communications says telephone
companies will use "bookkeeping misappropriations" to juggle numbers in
their drive to destroy the cable industry if federal regulators allow them
to deliver video services. (Toronto Financial Post 5/17/94 p. 9)
POLL SAYS INFO HIGHWAY'S GREAT, BUT WHAT IS IT?
Thirty-four percent of adults polled by Louis Harris and Associates
have seen, heard or read something about the information superhighway.
Sixty percent of those think it sounds like an excellent or pretty good
idea -- but admit that they have little understanding of what it actually
is. (St. Petersburg Times 5/16/94 Business p.10)
CABLE JOINS TELCO IN VENTURE
Two fierce rivals -- Rogers Communications and BCE Inc. (Bell
Canada Enterprises) -- are planning to work together to build at least one
portion of the info-highway roadbed just a week after each announced
competing plans to offer the same service. The cable company is joining
the telco in a consortium that will deliver hundreds of TV channels
directly to consumers' homes via pizza-sized satellite dishes. (Toronto
Star 5/17/94 C1)
*************************************************************************
Edupage. To add your name to the Edupage distribution list, send e-mail to:
listproc@educom.edu. In the body of the message type: sub edupage <your
name>. To unsubscribe send the message: unsub edupage. Edupage is also
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*************************************************************************
Sender: "Communet: Community and Civic Network Discussion List" <C
OMMUNET@uvmvm.uvm.edu>
From: "Arthur R. McGee"
Subject: Highway Robbery
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 11:12:19 -0400
From: William Graves
Subject: Highway Robbery
Just forwarded to me...
> Subject: Highway Robbery: The Selling of the Internet
> SUPERHIGHWAY REPORT HPCwire
> =============================================================================
>
> San Francisco, Calif. -- A special report in the May issue of "PC World"
> says that lavish spending and carefully targeted lobbying of key members of
> Congress by corporate special interest groups threatens to stifle competition
> in the restructuring of the nation's communications infrastructure.
>
> According to the report, tens of millions of dollars are being funnelled by
> political action committees (PACs) and lobbyists of the communications
> industry to congressmen and congressional committees who are helping to speed
> the passage of legislation through Congress. The report, "Highway Robbery;
> Selling the Net" is the result of an in-depth investigation by "PC World"
> Senior News Editor Joe Abernathy.
>
> Highlights of the report include:
>
> Encouraged by Vice President Gore's vision of ubiquitous network of
> computer and communications networks, Washington lawmakers are engaging in
> the most comprehensive revision of American communications policy since the
> Communications Act of 1934. More than 30 bills affecting various parts of the
> emerging information infrastructure are currently under consideration in
> Washington.
>
> Local telephone companies, cable television providers, long distance
> telephone companies, entertainment companies and communications equipment
> manufacturers, each of whom wants to enter the other's markets are leading th
e
> lobbying and special-interest spending. Communications sector PACs spent
> roughly $9.6 million on direct campaign contributions alone during the 1992
> election cycle. Of this, telephone company contributions exceeded $5.1
> million and cable company contributions exceeded $2.1 million.
>
> Lobbying and campaign contributions are carefully targeted at certain
> congressional committees and committee members. According to "PC World":
>
> Members of the Senate Commerce Committee which has jurisdiction over
> Ernest Hollings bill to rewrite the Communications Act of 1934, accepted
> $2,046,886 from the communications industry during the last election cycle.
>
> In the 1992 election cycle, members of the House Energy and Commerce
> Committees, which have jurisdiction over one of two House bills affecting
> deregulation, accepted $1,298,000 from the communications industry.
>
> Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee which recently conducted
> anti-trust hearings on the proposed TCI-Bell Atlantic merger, received
> $943,000 from the communications industry during the 1992 election cycle and
> all told, received a whopping $14,148,700 from the industries they are
> supposed to oversee.
>
> Even with a much shorter election cycle, members of the House Judiciary
> Committee accepted $718,000 from the communications industry in 1992 and
> $6,680,00 from the industries it is charged with regulating.
>
> Members of the important House Science, Space and Technology Committee
> accepted $679,000 from communications industry PACs during 1992.
>
> In total, "PC World" found that members of the above-named five committees
> received a breathtaking $69,538,609 during 1992 from industries that had
> business before them.
>
> AT&T supports the nation's largest corporate-sponsored PAC, with 1992
> election year spending of $1,297,525. Of the communications industry PACs,
> Bell South is second in spending with over $835,000, followed by National
> Cable TV Association with $631,000.
>
> The special report contrasts the current investment by large industrial
> concerns with Vice President Gore's 1992 campaign promise to act as a
> catalyst for developing a widely accessible network capable of supporting
> both community and commercial activities. The report contains extensive
> commentary from the leaders of several public interest groups and prominent
> private-sector business leaders who have a vested interest in the emerging
> information superhighway.
> ****************************************************************************
*
> H P C W I R E S P O N S O R S
> Product specifications and company information in this section
> are available to both subscribers and non-subscribers.
>
> 901) ANS 902) IBM Corp. 904) Intel SSD
> 905) Maximum Strategy 906) nCUBE 907) Digital Equipment
> 909) Fujitsu America 912) Avalon Computer 914) Applied Parallel Res.
> 915) Genias Software 916) MasPar Computer 919) Transtech Parallel
> 921) Cray Research Inc. 927) ISR Corp.
> *****************************************************************************
> Copyright 1994 HPCwire.
> To receive the weekly HPCwire at no charge, send e-mail without text to
> "trial@hpcwire.ans.net".
>
----- End Included Message -----
******
From: Sally Hambridge
Subject: Gov't Info online
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L
Hello all.
The question about the SBA leads me to remind you all of the
very fine resources available on government information through
is.internic.net. (They have a gopher, but I never use it - being
old guard and prefering native ftp.)
URL: ftp://is.internic.net/infoguide/resources/government/govinfo
URL: ftp://is.internic.net/infoguide/resources/government/us-fedgov-info
URL: ftp://is.internic.net/infoguide/resources/overviews/government-
business-sources
Each of these are excellent sources for government information
available online, and is.internic.net has many other fine resources
in the infoguide.
Sally
##########################################################################
Internet Tools
##########################################################################
Sender: owner-net-happenings@is.internic.net
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 17 May 94 13:30:29 CDT
From: ICI info <info@proper.com>
Subject:Internet Computer Index
The Internet Computer Index (ICI) is an easy-to-use, free service that
leads Internet users to all of the information available on the Internet
relating to PCs, Macintoshes, and Unix computers. ICI is the Internet's
only one-stop, resource-locating service, helping users locate any
information related to computers that is available on the Internet more
easily and efficiently that ever before possible. ICI users can find out
answers to their hardware and software questions, solve networking
problems, research buying decisions, and keep up-to-date with their
systems. Using Gopher or World Wide Web client software, any user on the
Internet, anywhere in the world, can get the most up-to-date information
including pointers to all Usenet news groups, mailing lists, Gopher and
World Wide Web servers, anonymous FTP sites, and other Internet-specific
resources.
Users can search through Internet resources including:
- Usenet news groups
- mailing lists
- Gopher servers
- World Wide Web servers
- anonymous FTP sites
- frequently asked question files (FAQs)
- online publications
- commonly-downloaded files
In addition, ICI freely provides information that is not available anywhere
else on the Internet. For example, the Macintosh and PC sections allow
users to search through indexes of reviews from popular magazines since
January 1993. Further, ICI also lets users search through the messages from
relevant Usenet news groups for topics of interest. In the future, Proper
Publishing will add more original content to ICI as a service to the
Internet community.
To reach ICI using a Gopher program, enter "ici.proper.com" as the host name.
Type=1
Name=Internet Computer Index by Proper Publishing
Path=
Host=proper.com
Port=70
URL: gopher://proper.com:70/
To reach ICI using a World Wide Web program such as Mosaic, enter
"http://ici.proper.com" as the Universal Resource Locator (URL).
Followups by email to info@proper.com please.
Proper Publishing
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
##########################################################################
Services: Net Results * Governing In the Information Age
##########################################################################
Forwarded by Gleason Sackman - InterNIC net-happenings moderator
**************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 19 May 94
From:reed.overfelt@npr.gsa.gov
Subject: NetResults Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Author: Netresults Staff
Date: June 1994
**************************************************************************
NETRESULTS
VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE
NATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW
GOVERNING IN THE INFORMATION AGE
**************************************************************************
WHAT IS IT ?
NetResults is your opportunity to participate directly in reinventing
government. And we invite you to join us -- to create a government that
"Works Better and Costs Less!"
NetResults is a growing network of people and teams working together to
reinvent government. It was created in the fall of 1993 to explore a
team-based, open-network approach to implementing the recommendations of
the National Performance Review.
As an umbrella network of networks, NetResults fosters the development of
teams which span agencies and departments, cross public-private sector
boundaries, and link federal, state, and local governments.
Because change leaders and teams require good information to make good
decisions, NetResults is committed to providing useful information to
anyone, anywhere, who wants to help reinvent government. So we have
established an information system on the Internet to bring you news about
what is happening elsewhere--innovations, reinvention labs, NPR reports
on specific areas, executive orders, and other items of interest.
We created this pamphlet as our way of introducing ourselves and the
people networks to you. We also created this document to serve as your
"Road Map" to using the NetResults information system. We hope that you
will find it helpful and, more importantly, that you will join us.
***************
People NetWorks
***************
Network
Network Coordinator............. Contact #
BudgetNet
Budget Reform
Brad Leonard (NPR)................. 202/632-0150
Comnet
Communications and Outreach
Roddy Moscoso (NPR).................202/632-0150
FEBNet
Network for the Federal Executive Boards
Paula Bridgham (OPM)................202/606-1000
Lisa Randall (NPR)..................202/632-0150
FinanceNet
Financial Management Innovations
Linda Hoogeveen (OMB)...............202/395-3812
The Grants Network
Grants Management
Don Bard (NEA)......................202/682-5469
GrantsNet
Reenginering the Grants Process
Bob Maslyn (HHS)....................202/690-5931
IGNet
Linking IG's for Innovation
Jerry Bullock (Justice).............202/616-4774
Intergovernmental Community and Family Services
Network
Web of Existing Social Services Delivery/Integration
Networks
Bev Godwin (NPR)....................202/632-0150
Kristen Kracke (NPR)................202/632-0150
MeasureNet
Measurement of Employee Performance
Marilyn Gowing (OPM)................202/606-0820
Craig Pettibone (OPM)...............202/606-0860
Customer Service Stds& Benchmarking
Stuart Haggard (VA).................202/273-5053
Joel Parfitt (IRS)..................202/622-5710
PeopleNet
Human Resources Reform
Judith Anderson (NPR)...............202-632-0150
RegNet
Linking Technology to Regulatory Reform Initiatives
Neil Thompson (NRC).................301/492-4773
*********************************************
Interested in forming other networks?
Contact NetResults @ 202-632-0150
*********************************************
*******************
Information System
*******************
ELECTRONIC MAIL
If you have an Internet accessible e-mail address - - X.400, Delphi,
CapAccess, CompuServe, Prodigy, America Online, etc.- - obtaining
NPR/NetResults materials is as simple as sending an e-mail message.
What Is Available?
To obtain a list of materials available via Internet e-mail, send a one
line mail message to almanac@ace.esusda.gov with the following text:
send netresults catalog
You will automatically receive a return message containing a catalog of
reinvention documents and instructions for obtaining any of the documents
via electronic mail.
INTERNET "GOPHER"
If you currently have access to the Internet, NPR and NetResults materials
can be found at many "gopher" locations. One of the best is at:
Americans Communicating Electronically (ACE)
To get this gopher, type:
gopher ace.esusda.gov
>From the Americans Communicating Electronically (ACE) Main Menu, choose:
Americans Communicating Electronically/
National Performance Review Information/
Or look for the information in:
"Other Gopher Information Servers/ North America/ USA/ washington DC/
Americans Communicating Electronically/ National Performance Review
Information/
*************************************************************************
For Additional Information Contact:
NetResults
National Performance Review
Office of the Vice President
750 17th Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202-632-0150
Fax: 202-632-0390
e-mail: netresults@npr.gsa.gov
##########################################################################
Timely Thoughts
##########################################################################
I thought that this post to com-priv was an interesting point for
discussion!
-steve
Date: Fri, 20 May 1994
From: Gary A Bolles
Subject: Ruining the Internet
To: com-priv@psi.com
No wide spread access to the nuts of the world is not a good idea. We
need more lawyers sending ads like we need a larger backbone. What I am
saying is that the network as it was has changed. CB radio changed as
well. When cheap acces to CB was avail. alot of low life get on an
trashed the band. The internet has enough low life now. Mass access will
cause mass problems. I for one don't care because, I can always go back
to a bbs system. Or a second network for those that are not satisfied
with the way the Internet is going. Just thoughts...
Joseph Stroup
//Sure, it's everyone's prerogative to go somewhere else. That's the nice thing
about cyberspace, it's a quasi-infinite resource, unlike national parks and
coral reefs. Create a new world, then crawl inside and close the door behind.
However. I'm not trying to single out M. Stroup. But my concern is that there's
an undercurrent in some of the perspectives I hear, a deep belief that the
great unwashed will ruin this really neat playground we're all running around
in. That's the kind of dangerous elitism I've mentioned before, that somehow
others aren't worthy. Anyone venturing outside of alt.scum should be metashot
on sight.
And how exactly are we going to identify them? "Unsubscribe" messages sent to
the main listserv? Reverse-order smilies? Poor spelling? Anyone who logged onto
the Internet after its first mention in the Wall Street Journal? It seems that
the definition of "community" has limits after all.
Sure, some people are going to tromp all over the virgin cyberscape - a honking
big lot of them. They're going to broadcast junk email and ask stupid questions
and not learn the rules and scour the net for Playboy scans. They're going to
flood news groups with perspectives that will make Roseanne Barr look like Bill
Buckley. They're going to do business over the 'net, gawd forbid. These things
are absolutely inevitable.
But c'mon, these are also people with ideas and perspectives that are in short
supply on the 'net, people not so steeped in the computer culture that they can
bring views from the real world to a world that's not completely real. These
are people we trust enough to vote, for chrissake. How is their interaction in
cyberspace *not* worthwhile? To me, wanting to shut out the impending waves of
the common horde is the worst of a creeping academic mindset; slap enough ivy
on the walls, maybe the outside world won't intrude. Or of the mainframe
environment; all those messy users think they know what they want, but we
control the technology so we'll give them what we know they need.
I think of the time spent so far in crafting the 'net as a time of preparation,
of exploring in fits and starts the ways that electronic interaction affects
the building of information resources and metaculture. The masses are now at
the door; if we've laid the groundwork right, and we patiently educate (and get
educated), lots of exciting things can happen. And they can happen for lots of
people, maybe enough to have some echo effects back into the real world.
Or we can each retreat. But we can't stop it.//
Gary A. Bolles
##########################################################################
HELP!!!
##########################################################################
From: Clark Rogers <SNARF@VMS.CIS.PITT.EDU>
Subject: More Details on 1994 Communty Information Networks
Conference....
To All:
The planning and brainstorming goes on for the proposed Fall/Winter 1994
"Community Information Networks Conference: Ties That Bind II". (With
your blessings on the name, Steve Cisler.!!)
Before I go on with that, though, let me make a brief clarification. The
infoWorks Partnership (the folks I'm presently working with, and the folks
who are going to run the conference) is a consulting firm based here in
Pittsburgh; infoWorks has been in business for 2 1/2 years now, and they
do nothing but Community Information Networks--planning, design, development,
implementation and maintenance.....that's all. This proposed conference
isn't any kind of "trade show" for iW to show off its wares.
The infoWorks Partnership ismade up of people who come from the nonprofit
community and have each been involved in community information networks for
some years. They want to see what happened in Cupertino to be the keystone
for the advancement of this field and its professionals--to galvanize us all
while we still are all hungry for more information, more contacts and more
ideas. No...back to the Conference.
One of the most inspiring thoughts from the iW Staff was to have all of you
folks out here on COMMUNET sound off and give your ideas on what YOU'D like
to see. That is.....
* How can we follow on the path that Cupertino has made?
* What can we improve on from Cupertino?
* How can we make this a conference important to us as well as
mainstream media?
* What are the best ways to illustrate the regional differences/
problems/benefits, etc. to operating and maintaining CINs?
* Who would YOU most like to see as a principal speaker at the
conference that would be of interest to all?
* How can this "galvanization" of the CIN community make us all
more attractive to potential funders and...*gulp*, yes, I'll
say it, politically "meaningful" (sorry Dan T.) to the policy-
makers in Wash., DC?
* Other ideas........
We think that if we were to design a conference and get a fair representation
on what we'd all like to see, it will make for a more enjoyable, interesting,
informative, and beneficial conference--similar to Cupertino. We also want
to attract the wide range of audiences that were attracted to Cupertino.
A couple of other notes:
> We're thinking of limiting the size to between 400-700. We don't
want to get too big, but we also don't weant to exclude anyone.
Can we get some feedbackon how we might find a middle road
here?
> We're thinking of a date no earlier than October 5, 1994.
> The fees for the conference will likely be between $80-$100, with
a student fee of possibly between $40-$55.
I hope all we've presented here makes sense. And I hope you all take the time
to sound off. The response to the first post was fantastic. Now we need to ge
t
a true idea on how you'd like to see this conference designed. We all have a
hand in our collective futures...let's make it the brightest and most successfu
l
we can!
Kindest Regards,
Clark D. Rogers
Information Consultant to The infoWorks Partnership
Professor, Urban and Regional Planning Program
University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
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