I find the internet a wonderful advancement in the world. We have gone from carrier pigeons to being able to speak to someone through your computer across the world. Though many people think that it can put distance between people (say staying at home more and losing social interaction), I find the positives way outweigh the negatives. Privacy is an issue, but with technology comes threats, just like any other progression. People with different language backgrounds, disabilities, or simply different cultures can now communicate and grow closer as a human race.

What is it about the web that makes it so useful? The web can used for basically any subject/topic/interest. For most people, the web is a source of information for a question they might have. For instance, if somebody is curious what time a movie is or how to install ram into a laptop, there are many pages that address those issues. For me, personally, the web was more of a piece of entertainment then anything else. I was interested in looking at different fan pages of movies and cartoons. Right now, the web is more useful to me as a student as a way to communicate with my friends and family. I have blog sites and most of my friends have blog sights. We keep up with each other through these sights and never lose touch with one another. The web can be accessed through any computer, and connections are cheap enough to be affordable to anybody. Using the web and the software is simple enough to where most children are able to learn easily. Browser software is free as well as some virus protection/spam blocker/pop-up blocker software. The web is accessed by people through the world and is a cheaper form of communication than a long distance phone call. In all, the web has become so versatile that it will soon change the way humans communicate with each other throughout the globe.

It's hard to believe that not too long ago there was no such thing as the Internet. I remember when my family had dial-up connection instead of DSL/Cable connection. Now, I can't even imagine myself going back to dial-up. It was way too slow!

Nowadays, everyone is online chatting, downloading files, movies, music, etc. It's intriguing how many of my friends I see daily, perhaps hourly, that I see online checking their e-mails, updating their blogs, stalking other people on facebook, etc. The web is addictive! It's addictive because it's so convenient. To receive news and information over a real-time IM or chatroom is just second nature for students. Communication is so efficient. Students can talk to multiple people at a time, are able to download movies and music within a few minutes, and are able to submit homework a second before it's due online. Amazing, isn't it?

I think that web will revolutionize the future. It has already started that process. Society has a whole uses the web in every aspect possible. From e-commerce to education, to entertainment, to even religious aspects, the web is present or used in some shape or form. As far as government is concerned, the web plays an important role there as well. There are many government enities that can only be reached now by phone or the web. You can send mail throughout the world. There are many things that web does and will only continue to grow.

what is it about the web that disconnects as much as it connects?

There is no doubt that the world wide web has connected people in ways that could have never before been imagined. From the comfort of my own home, I can register for classes, order a pizza, email someone in Africa, or customize a new pair of tennis shoes all in a matter of minutes. While this entire process is terribly convenient, it is also rather cold. Why would I want to drive out to a store and potentially have to deal with an incompetent or snippy salesman when I can simply go online, make a few pre-determined choices and click a few buttons to make my selection? On the other hand, choosing to simply go through a "middle machine" rather than a "middle man" takes away a chance I have at connecting with another human being. What if the salesman by coincidence is an old friend that I had lost contact with, or the cheer of my salesperson is so infectious I decide to spend the rest of my day doing good deeds for others? While these possibilities are slight, they would never have occured if I had chosen to go down the convenient path of the web rather than going to the physical store to make my purchase.

While the web provides us with an amazing opportunity to connect to others, it also separates the direct contact human beings have had to rely on before the dawn of computers. As our culture begins to accept and expect technology such as automated check out lines, computerized postal machines and chat rooms, we lose more and more touch of our physical world and find ourselves beginning to float aimlessly in cyberspace. If the cyberworld divides those inside of it from one another, it also creates boundaries that place those without access to it in another realm. For those of us fortunate (or unfortuante?) enough to have access to the web, we must remain aware that while the web has the power to link us together, it is also changing the nature of these links, perhaps in an irreversible way.

Sorry about the late reply. :(

It is all about connectivity. The internet provides the way for people across the globe to interact with each other. Yes, only 15% of people now have acess to the internet, but I suspect that number will grow with decreasing technology costs. Also, the explosion of free content publishing gives everyone a voice. I think that the biggest obstacle to a truly digital world is hardware and infirstructure - but once countries like Namibia or Sierra Leone get rolling, I think that every African kid will have a Myspace. I think that this new generation will be much more likely to be multilateral in international relations. After all, why declare war on a third of your blogring? I don't think it is the web itself that has this potential for influence, but the communities that are created through it. History shows that countries whose citizens are friendly and trading become allies (more often) than those who aren't. I might be crazy, but there is the possability for the web to create a true international culture and community.

Remember those days when the only way to communicate with people far away was through mail (yes, actual mail), fax or phone? Even I remember those days. Back then if you don't go out you don't meet people, period. And we are just talking about people 5 miles radius around you. Then came internet and brought down with it many walls: walls between people, walls between distance and countries. It doesnt stop here, internet has also opened the door free for all kinds of interesting inventions that will completely revolutionalize the way gen Y socialize. So came forth blogs, podcasting, social networking websites, and many more that are constantly produced right at this moment. Take the social networking sites. Never before were people so open about theirselves and others: user profiles, journals, messaging boards...people are fascinated by the sharing of this sudden aboundance of information and indulge in the sense of belongingness as they find peers similar to them. Facebook, for instance, have 4 out of 5 UT students addicted to it. They would check it once, twice, three time and even more than they would like. It's almost like a drug. With so much time spent on it that must mean it's taking away from other activities: watching TV, schoolworks and maybe even real life socializing, who knows.
I'm among the "new generation" and already I feel that I can't keep up anymore. Sometimes I can't help but wonder, where is all this going? Will the day come when we are so interconnected we won't be needing a physical body anymore, instead we melt in the "nerwork" and become masses of atoms that can travel, garner information and take human form at will?
Ok, maybe I just have a rich imagination. My point is, people are creative, and with 6+ billion brains at work, we set no limits for the future. Well, at least it will be 6+ billion when the other 85% of the world population are connected.

I find myself on the web more and more, as if it is a way of life for me. There are many, many other people that could relate to me all around the world. The web is quite useful, saving money on phone bills with instant messaging, or e-mail. I no longer have to use my home phone to talk to a friend. I find myself logging on to aim, talking for hours. Not only talking, but people no longer have to worry about faxing. With e-mail, your faxing worries are no more. The web is the new communication of today. The web offers shopping online, and businesses are all turning to the web. Right now, i can shop for valentines day at a floral shop right down the street from me without leaving my house. I can buy almost anything i need, even groceries using the web. The webs power can be scary and may cause more fear in the future. The issues of privacy come up when using the internet. With beginners, or people who only know the basics of using the web, many problems could come their way. What about sites that ask for personal information, or these fake advertisements that ask for credit card info or social security numbers. I say we should familiarize ourselves with the web before we convert to using it in our everday life.

My life is made easier with the web. In fact it's hard to think about living without the tools it provides, now that I use it so often. Sending email, shopping, paying bills, researching, education, etc. The promise of convenience and saving time and money represent the web's functionality. It seems that the possibilities are endless! I don't have to spend as much money on stamps, drive to a business, go to the library. I have a choice. But we are the ones in control of those choices. That is, the designers and the users. The web occupies a new space in many people's lives.
The power of the internet can be scary at times. I don't want to lose or be taken advantage of when using the web, but it is a constant fear.
Are we really creating a space for social and political change? Who uses the web exactly, and who designs it? I think the web has the capacity to unite people and ideas from all over the world, but I don't think it is an equalizing place socially or politically. Because People are in control of its construction, people bring with them their values and beliefs, so the web has the same problems as society.
The power of the web can make the future seem promising while at the same time creating fear.

Turn on the computer…check email…maybe see who’s online…surf a little bit…now what? Exactly…now what? What is it about the internet that keeps us coming back? I mean everyone has their daily “must check” sites, but how long does that really take? Somewhere between MS Dos and Internet Explorer, people became obsessed and enveloped with the internet. We no longer can go through a day without checking our emails at least three or four times a day. We are constantly finding ways to “stay connected” wherever we go, whether from a laptop, a palm pilot, or even a cell phone. Why is it we feel this need to have internet at arms reach everywhere we go? For some of us, the internet is the one way we can travel the world, be anywhere at anytime. We can walk the Wall of China or climb the Eiffel Tower. We can find that perfect present with the click of a button, stay connected to someone half way around the world, or even find all the information we need for a project. The possibilities are endless and only growing. We are immersed in a world of information and the internet is more or less like a security blanket for people. Whatever we don’t know, we can find on the internet with just a click of a button. Though we may not need to use it every second of the day or need to understand every single thing on the web, we do feel a need to be able to access it whenever we need or want to.

It comes at no surprise that people are less than confident about the security of the internet. There is relatively no regulation of the information published on the web. Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can post their ideas, false information, or even malicious software. There are way too many active webpages that contain spyware, adware, pop-ups, viruses, worms, trojan-horses, or keyloggers with the intent of tricking the user into downloading and running their software. The amount of this malicious content on the web seems to be growing exponentially as time goes on. However, there is no reason to be scared by this. The amounts of security programs, most of which are freeware, are growing almost as fast in numbers and sophistication. The problem most people have is not lack of available security software, but a lack of people correctly using the software. Almost everyone has some form of firewall and anti-virus software installed on their computers, but in my experience, many of those people do not keep the programs up to date and do not run scans for viruses on a regular basis, if at all. Also many people have their firewalls disabled because they don’t know what to do when the window pops up asking if a program running should be granted access to the internet. This gives them a false sense of security because a disabled firewall is no different than not having one at all. The hackers or script kiddies that are releasing all of this bad software on the web know that the majority of their amateur attempts to trick people will not work against the well secured systems that use anti-spyware, anti-virus, and firewalls, but they rely on the ignorance of the users that have unsecured systems and that is the reason for the great increase in security threats on the web. The recognition of these threats causes the fear that some people have of using the web.

The web is the ultimate form of communication that is available on a global scale. In comparison with all other forms of media like radio, television, or print, the internet provides endless capabilities that surpass the others while at the same time providing a more interactive relationship with people. The future is important for the internet because more options will only add to the already complex usability that the web currently provides. People believe the web will revolutionize the world because of its potential. It’s an instant interaction between people and every available area of interest that people may have. News, politics, and social climates can be explored and shared with much greater depth and speed rather than older forms of media provided in the past. History shows that there are always new developments or technologies that can be influential toward our species; however, new advancements must always be met with a greater responsibility. Therein rests the problem with the web today, and in its future. The vast capabilities that the internet provides can also be used to harm or exploit the innocent. Society is taking an enormous risk by continuing this pursuit to master all resources of the internet because there are always people willing to take advantage of a technology. And because the web craze is on a global scale, it is impossible to restrict or fully control it. Resources are constantly being spent to try and prevent the abuse that we all know exists, but the goal can never be completely achieved because of the rate in which the internet is spreading. Only 14.6% of the world’s population uses the internet for the simple reason that not every country is able to implement this technology. Plus, a great portion of these people are not exposed to the potential uses of the internet and therefore, never see the advantage. Others can’t afford the investment. What should be more significant is not the current usage, but the usage growth as of 2000. Every world region has increased by more than 100% which implies that the expansion of the web is progressing, but only at the rate in which the specific region is capable.

Something about the web today is controlling the life of millions of users. What is it? Is it the fact that you can always find a friend online through instant messenger services like AOL Instant Messenger or MSN Messenger? This form of communication seems to have taken hold of peoples' lives to the point where it has effected the way teens communicate. People now would rather communicate through the web, rather than the phone, or person-to-person. How about the sensation known as Facebook? Recently, one of my professors polled our class to see just how many were signed up. I was shocked to see how many hands went up. At least 3/4 of our class raised their hands. While this number could vary from class to class, to me this suggests something really amazing. In about a year, around 3/4 (give or take 1/10) of people are now a member of this service. And everyday, as I walk through the FAC, there is at least one person doing something Facebook related on their few workstation computers that they have in the lobby. Finally students find themselves on the web multiple times daily doing some sort of work for school. Rather than look in antiquated encyclopedia in old, dark libraries, students have access to this vast resource that is accessible right from your own computer. Between all of this, and the vast other web services, students are spending more and more time on the web, to the point where it almost seems like an addiction.

The Internet has revolutionized the way in which our society functions. Even though only 14.6% of people around the world utilize the web, it never the less has a profound impact on businesses, education, and communication throughout the globe. For many people the Internet is a vital tool and is essential for every day life. It has significantly decreased the distance between communities and culture across the planet, and had therefore made information more readily available than ever before in Earth’s history. It is also true that most anyone can make a website and post whatever they want to on that sire. It is for these reasons that people criticize the web and are skeptical of the content it contains. Many professors will tell you that internet research is acceptable, if from an accredited or trustworthy site, but many still prefer students to gather information from books, rather than online. The Internet is also vulnerable to much criticism because it is easily accessible to many people and it is not censored in any way. Many Americans fear that certain aspects of the web, especially pornography sites, can corrupt the youth and morals of people in general. The idea that anyone can make a site without any censorship is also scary and therefore criticized by people because there are sites describing how to make weapons, how to kill yourself, and probably many more atrocious things that need not be spread about with such ease. However, the Internet has also made work so much easier for many people, and even has some unexpected benefits that many people don’t realize. For example, the Internet is a contributor to the fight against global warming. There are less letters being sent now that email is easily accessible and widely used, sparing many trees that store CO2, which acts as a greenhouse gas. The web has also increased the amount of people that are able to work from home, and therefore decreases the amount of harmful emissions from their cars because they are not driving as much! The web is going to remain vulnerable to criticism, but it is also here to stay, and I think it is a great tool today’s society and for the future.

The most interesting thing about the world wide web to me is the "echo chamber" effect that makes it seem as if everyone is simply repeating the same groundless, unreflected, stream-of-consciousness assertions.

The web brings together people who are almost identical in upbringing, socio-economic status, ethnic background, and outlook, and we celebrate the fact that we can communicate with people just like us on the other side of the world. However we ignore the unfamiliar "alien" who lives right next door to us.

The closest fictional allegory I can recall is the soap opera in Fahrenheit 451. All the characters talk at each other but observers don't even know their names much less their motivations. Interlocutors on the web interact like 5 year old boys- they have no interest in learning the names, backgrounds, personalities, etc of the other boys and are only concerned with the immediate utility and gratification they can provide.

Another way of saying this is that for years we thought that an infinite number of monkeys typing at an infinite number of computers would eventually produce Shakespeare. Now we know that's not true.

The web is often referred to in terms of its equalizing and democratizing potential, but the web is multifaceted and also possesses immeasurable ‘Big Brother’ potential. We live in an information age, an age where information can be used for good and for bad. With widespread access to the web in places like Europe and the U.S., very few restrictions, and a world of information at one’s fingertips, the possibilities are endless, including the potential for corruption. According to a survey by Georgia Tech, the two most important issues facing the Internet today are privacy and censorship. A fear of the unknown is common, and for many people the web has a lot of unknowns. Many web users only know enough about computers and the web to do the basics, such as web-browsing and email, and therefore, they take a great risk, personally, every time they access the internet. Identity theft is on the rise and so are the risks of viruses, spam, and various tracking and monitoring devices. We may protest the fact that Google bowed to the mighty dollar by agreeing to China’s censorship requirements, but do enough of us consider the effects of “personalized” shopping experiences on websites like Amazon.com? What about the invasiveness of Google Earth, or the vulnerability of young web users growing up in an age where it is commonplace to bare your personal information (and dirty laundry) on blogs and websites like thefacebook.com? Due to the nature of the world wide web, it is advisable to consider who is monitoring your web experience, be it your government, the local police, advertisers or marketers, the neighborhood pedophile, hackers, or even your political opposition, just to name a few. Perhaps the best thing we can do now is educate and familiarize ourselves with the technology and proceed with caution.

People feel that the internet will be our future because of our tendency to believe in a “promised land,” or a mythical place/device that will enable us to lead richer, more fulfilling lives. Human history is full of “promised lands.” These are places, either physical, ideological, or both, that serve as a beacon of hope for a group of people. Despite its biblical origins, the term can be widely accepted now as a secular idea. The concept has been evidenced by the discovery of the New World, where things were as of yet unspoiled, full of potential. Later, it was the role of the United States as a haven for immigrants from all corners of the globe. Now, the internet is the new “promised land” on our hands. While not a recent discovery, the internet is truly full of the potential that appeared to exist in the other “promised lands” sought out by humanity in years past. The ability to spread knowledge, information, entertainment and communication is constantly expanding. People feel it will be so equal and fair because, similar to the internet itself, its use is all cerebral. Anyone of able mind can utilize the internet, whereas in “promised lands” of the past, luck, skill, physical ability, money, etc. were required to succeed. Like in any period of change, traditionalists are scared. However, the curiosity of the intrepid always trumps the trepidation of the hidebound. The problem with “promised lands” is that over time, they fall prey to reality, and history shows that they either lose the quality that made them desirable in the first place, or in fact never really had it at all. However, the internet, as rapidly as it has matured and become a part of our daily lives, has persisted – it has continued to evolve and deepen as we explore it further. We realize how much more can be done with it, and how many more new possibilities open up. The digital landscape is ever-fertile and ever-changing, with its limits only defined by the knowledge of those that use it. As attitudes about and accessibility to the internet change, more and more people will be able to use it. This change will come about in no small part from the internet itself, as our society adjusts to living life online.

It has been said that information is power. Widespread access to the web gives information to the people, which in turns, gives them the power to communicate across continents in a matter of seconds, to disseminate and gather information about any subject under the sun. Never before in history have so many people had access to so many resources far beyond what is available in their geographical area. It is now possible to get a university education without seeing the inside of a classroom, to start a business out of your home and connect with customers in who live in different time zones, to develop relationships without ever meeting face-to-face. Human ingenuity has become the only limiting factor on what can be accomplished with the click of a button.

Presently, the power of the web is only available to 15.7% of the world’s population. This may not look like an impressive number, especially when you consider that Asia and Africa, the two largest continents (both in land-mass and population) have even smaller numbers, 9.9% and 2.5%, respectively. As of now, the power is still in the hands of the wealthiest citizens of the world (although it might not seem that way here in the US, where even the poorest of the poor can get online at the public library). This inequity in access to the web is deplorable. But, consider how fast access to the web has grown in recent history. Just over ten years ago, the internet was only used for business networking functions; it was unknown and unusable to private citizens. Now, it is ubiquitous in private homes and used daily for mundane tasks. The internet’s functionality and rate of usage has increased exponentially in the past decade (182% from 2000 to 2005), and it seems safe to assume that access to the internet will continue to spread with time.

The internet has become such a powerful tool because of its profound impact on the way information can be shared. It has made the distance between scientists obsolete and has revolutionized the way people connect with one another. Technology has advanced greatly over recent decades, and a large part of this is due to the availability of information. The internet has also made it easier on the masses to get menial tasks done. Where in the past, a letter to a friend in a different country would have taken time and money to write and send; now can be done in minutes through e-mail. This may also have its drawbacks as the internet may leave many people over booked and overworked. The internet has made the average person far more accessible, furthering the workload one would have to do and leaving no room for excuses as to why one is not accessible at all times of the day; be it through e-mail, cell phones, pagers, radio, fax, or text messaging. North America also has the highest percentage of the population using the internet over any other region at 68.1%. This has become abundantly clear lately because it is assumed that people know their way around a computer, and if they don’t then they may be left behind or miss out on job opportunities. The internet has become a tool necessary to succeed and beneficial to the sharing of information. It has helped improve technology and is constantly being used to help teach, from usage in elementary schools to taking classes online in college.

At times, I think of the net as just a source of knowledge or entertainment. However, once the majority of the things we interact with everyday become computerized, digitized, and networked, our world will truly be revolutionized. From the beginning of time, our communication codes or languages have been a serious restraint on our growth as a whole. Slowly, we have evolved toward a single cohesive language, and in effect, many revolutions have sparked, burned and extinguished. From print to industry to digital information, new technologies and ways of communicating have tailored our world into what we know today. A digital world where distance is obsolete and anything we want can be converted into 1’s and 0’s. This digitized language we are developing and connecting will soon bring about completely new industries, new institutions, and numerous changes to society and culture alike. What are they? Your guess is as good as mine, but in the same ways the printed Bible overthrew the high priests or paved the way for Shakespeare’s theatre, our networked world will lead to unprecedented changes. The web is not revolutionary because I can pay my bills easier or buy cheap books. Other innovations which stem from our networked society will emerge and adapt, therefore “revolutionizing” the World as we know it, or even more-so, how we see ourselves in it.

Well I could be wrong!... but I believe Diversity is an old old wooden ship, used during the uh, civil war era
-Anchorman

The internet has revolutionized the lives of human beings and how they interact with the rest of the world, how they use it to handle personal and professional business, and much more. For instance, e-mail, the transmission of text messages and optional file attachments used to send mail to a single recipient or broadcast it to multiple users is used much more frequently than regular mail, as it is easier, free in most cases, convenient and instant. This has made life easier for many, especially business. Education is another factor the internet plays a key role in, for example a student can attend an “online university” or study from the comfort of home. The internet can also be used to research—students these days are making trips to the library much less frequently as you can find 50+ year old newspapers, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and much more at the touch of a few buttons. Before it was the case that companies had to go through the “middle-man” or an independent importer/exporter for most international business, as the “middle-man” had all personal contacts etc…but now all companies have to do is show up on the web and trade directly, internationally—more and more business deals are occurring over the web everyday. One can also deal personal business online through websites like EBay where one can sell user to user as well as online stores—the internet has totally revolutionized the traditional buying from the comfort of home. Also, users can now chat together online, make conference calls through programs like Skype, and also video conversations—I talk to my relatives back in Pakistan all the time through the net, and best of all it’s at no additional cost! These are just some of the ways the web is useful, and why we should be appreciative of it.

1.How frequently will you(professor) be checking our Learning Record.
2. will our writing skills be an important part of our grade?
3.How frequently should we be checking the learning records.
4.Can we get feed back from other student about our portfolio work?
5.have there been any technical issues in the past that student have had with LRO