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In 1998/9 trAce invited writers to present
their personal views of the internet. The result is a series
of documents which combine to create a fascinating record
of the way we viewed the World Wide Web way back in the
20th century.
Dale Spender:
National Computer Strategy
The raw material of today's global community is intellectuality
and creativity, which is why everyone needs a computer,
an ISP, a national information infrastructure, and a support
system. The government who buys every member of society
a computer is sure to get a great deal, and an excellent
customer service agreement. Not to mention a head start
in the global economy.
Theodore
Roszak: Shakespeare Never Lost a Document to a
Computer Crash
Do computers get in the way of significant intellectual
work? Theodore Roszak believes so. In this month's Opinion
he argues that "all the greatest thoughts were thought before
computers." Lesson No. 1 in computer literacy, he says,
is that "the computer contributes nothing essential to the
life of the mind".
Liz
Bailey: Britgrrls No Bark and No Byte?
Liz Bailey, an American living in Britain, deplores the
lack of e-zines created by British women. "Of all the fabulously
funny grrl e-zines I've found... not one originates in the
UK." Lack of attitude or lack of familiarity with the technology?
What are the implications for British women in the workplace?
"For most of them, tech hasn't yet broken the cool barrier.
But why?" she asks.
Mark
Amerika: Culture Without Lawyers: Does Art Want
to be Free?
Copyleftism rather than copyright? Mark Amerika argues that
authors should be exploiting the attention-economy rather
than clinging to outmoded copyright laws.
Bill
Thompson : Literature that REALLY Counts
Where is the really important writing of the last fifty
years? Bill Thompson argues that it would be incomprehensible
to the vast majority of readers of novels - for the very
good reason that it wasn't meant to be read by them.
Ami
Isseroff : Will the Web Change Anything?
Ami Isseroff, Israel-based Director of MidEastWeb, argues
that writers will have to become more aware of the medium
if they want to be read online: "I have found that requests
for articles and self-expression do not produce floods of
excellent material. If anything is submitted, it is often
poorly written and inane, and if I dare publish it, I am
justifiably taken to task by my readers. The Web could potentially
be a means of interactive communication, but it seems that
there are few communicators among us."
Mez:
In the Age of the Online Female
The Age of the Online Female is here. Women saturate the
Net in all its glory, digitally pirouetting through a domain
previously reserved for the male whilst embracing endlessly
spawning technologies and tools, shouting "Viva la Cyberfeminism"
at every textual opportunity. Yeah right.
Michael
Atavar : Intimacy
Webcam sites, chat rooms and CU-see-me cameras - these online
phenomena continue to proliferate. I'm interested to know
why. I believe it's because these places on the www offer
an opportunity for intimacy that has not been exploited
in any other area.
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