Getting Physical
I published this Reflection on December 10, 1997. Given what all of us have been through during the last 18 months, I thought it may be of interest. The article was edited on July 9, 2021. I often get asked whether the Internet as a new medium will reduce people’s desire to get together in […]
Is Bitcoin Good For The Environment?
Bitcoin is not good for the environment. However, there are significant changes on the horizon which may change this. As of May 28, there are 10,118 different cryptocurrencies. Most of them are insignificant. The total value of all cryptocurrencies is currently $1.6 trillion. Bitcoin represents 43% of the total and Ethereum is 18%. The rest […]
Which Is Worse: Power Outage or Digital Outage?
A friend in Westport, Connecticut called me yesterday from his landline. Landlines have declined due to the advancement of mobile network technology and the obsolescence of the old copper wire network. Eventually the metallic networks will be completely out of date, perhaps within the next five years. I don’t know many people who have landlines […]
Video Chats and a Virtual Playhouse
Social distancing has pushed us apart. At the same time, it has pushed many of us online. Children are learning online. Old and young are streaming video entertainment. Millions are at their job virtually. They are communicating and collaborating with colleagues and customers. Doctors are seeing their patients via Telehealth portals. When we get to […]
The Internet in 1994 and Now
I had been following the Internet with great interest and enthusiasm beginning in 1992, and in 1994 became a co-founder of the World Wide Web Consortium at MIT. There were not many people familiar with the Internet or the fast-growing application called the Web, which many people at the time called the information superhighway. It […]
