Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
#135989 12/14/04 03:36 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,385
P
veteran
OP Offline
veteran
P
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,385
Google, 5 big libraries team to offer books
Collections will be digitally scanned

San Francisco Chronicle, December 14, 2004

"It's beyond what we believed would be possible in our lifetimes," said John Wilkin, an associate librarian at the University of Michigan. "Imagine what it means to have a great research library available to anyone in the world who has access to the Internet."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/12/14/BUGADABBS91.DTL


#135990 12/14/04 09:57 PM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,529
T
veteran
Offline
veteran
T
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,529
I imagine...

A revolution beyond Governments.
Unbridled human advance.
Complete disolvement of a social structure based upom wealth.
Individual self realization thus far only known in fables.

Unless...

A consortium of governments and peoples now in power can nip this little egalitarian adventure in its many many buds and then turn these electronic libertaries into devious machineries for the continuement of their ill-gotten stations.

Bastards!

But on the other hand, I'm optimistic!


#135991 12/14/04 11:44 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
...available to anyone in the world who has access to the Internet."

And the "great cultural divide" broadens.


#135992 12/15/04 01:38 AM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,529
T
veteran
Offline
veteran
T
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,529
"And the "great cultural divide" b r o a d e n s."

Look, Musick, the culture divide is shrinking!

PC Market Seen Doubling by 2010

Dec 14, Technology - Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of personal computers worldwide is expected to double to about 1.3 billion by 2010, driven by explosive growth in emerging markets such as China, Russia and India, according to a report released on Tuesday by Forrester Research Inc....

China is expected to lead the growth, with 178 million new PC users by 2010, Forrester, a technology research firm, said in a statement...

Some 566 million new PCs are expected to be in use in emerging markets by 2010, based on a study of adoption rates across 16 emerging markets, Forrester said in a statement. The 575 million PCs currently in use globally include about 75 million in emerging markets...

Mature markets in the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific are expected to add 150 million new PCs by 2010, according to the study...


Growth in emerging markets will be driven by low-priced PCs made by local companies, Forrester said...


Forrester forecast that there will be 80 million new PC users in India by 2010, with an annual growth rate of 37 percent. Indonesia is expected to see 40 percent annual growth, with 40 million new users...


Of the 16 emerging markets included in the study, Mexico is expected to see the deepest PC market penetration, with 46 percent of Mexicans owning a PC by 2010...



#135993 12/15/04 04:10 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Owning a PC and having access (even of a basic *nature) to the internet are two different things... especially in China.

Not that the internet has any *significant culture attached to it...


#135994 12/15/04 04:54 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,385
P
veteran
OP Offline
veteran
P
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,385
Owning a PC and having access (even of a basic *nature) to the internet are two different things

The "digital divide" is a serious problem in North America, not to mention China, Musick. But libraries now provide free Internet access in virtually every city and Bill and Melissa Gates have donated tens of millions of dollars to improve Internet access in libraries.

We certainly need to do more, but we are moving in the right direction.

And now people who can't afford a computer or Internet access will have access to some of the finest research libraries in the world.

What an astonishing and wildly exciting advance this is!

Forget how much this will oxygenate the stuffy, sequestered, hallowed halls of haughty academe, but consider what an explosion of new energy, and new insights, innovations and inventions it will produce when people outside a particular field of expertise start cross-pollinating their own research with research inside other fields of investigation which were previously inaccessible to them on a wide open, free-wheeling basis.

KABOOM!!!!




#135995 12/15/04 05:36 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
couldn't you walk to a library anyway?



formerly known as etaoin...
#135996 12/15/04 06:35 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,385
P
veteran
OP Offline
veteran
P
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,385
couldn't you walk to a library anyway?

Not at Standford or Harvard or Oxford Universities, etaoin.

Not even if you live next door to them, if you don't possess a student card.

This is one small step for the humblest of us, etaoin, and one great leap for humankind.


#135997 12/15/04 07:46 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
It's a rather large leap to expect that as digital divides shrink so do cultural ones... even if the possibility is 'built in' the probability is not... and that's not even bringing up the issue of censorship in *public institutions.


#135998 12/15/04 08:58 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
Offline
veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526

I'm not sure I understand the argument.

Google, et. al. shouldn't do this, because most people don't have access? We could eliminate a lot more things from society on such a basis.

I'm having trouble seeing any downside to the project.

k



Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 442 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5