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T he P ortland O bserver • M ay 31, 1995
P age B5
The Internet:
Roadkill On The
Electronic
Superhighway
Hv P rot . M c K inlev B urt
W ell, there really are not that
many bodies, not at the level o f peas­
ants anyway. A few rushed out early
on to buy the latest and biggest guides,
manuals, user’ s set, only to find that
the publishers were advertising up­
dates before the original order came
in the mail. Frustrating, but as disas­
trous as getting the wrong software,
at the wrong time, at the wrong place.
Our mini-disasters usually have
a price tag under a hundred dollars,
while big companies are risking hun­
dreds o f m illions on new technology
on which the paint is scarcely dry.
True, these firms are equipped with
very, very deep pockets, but keep in
mind that they are well-experienced
at recouping their losses out o f our
quite shallow pockets. Take, for in­
stance, the recent b illion dollar bid­
ding at the government auction o f the
new radio frequency channels which
“ could” deliver vast new spectra o f
telecommunications - right to our
home, autos or office and without
any cable or telephone wires.
Cool baby! Way out, whatever
turns on your transmission towers.
But, tell me, pretty please, who is
going to furnish and pay the salaries
o f all the on-line operators that w ill
be required at each household to
register, sort, file and archive all the
reams o f information pouring in by
the minute, twenty-four hours a day?
A former student o f mine, who works
at Intel, informs me that it would take
thirty-thousand dollars worth o f spe­
cialized software to accomplish the
task automatically.
Ofcourse, no one is serious about
stationing communication specialists
at each home, but even without the
hype and publicity from the advertis­
ing agencies, their psychologists and
consumer pitchmen, it has become
more and more obvious that an inor­
dinate amount o f a person’s time is
being consumed by electronic intru­
sions (solicited or not). And don’t
mention the mailperson who is walk­
ing bowlegged from the weight o f
even more “ inform ation” / or the
sleepless “ onliner” .
It was Marshall McLuhan who
said. “ The medium is the message” .
W ell, you don’t have to be a re­
nowned professor from Montreal to
get the message here. This serendip­
itous avalanche o f alleged informa­
tion w ill, i f allowed, wrap one in a
“ W orld Wide Web” alright. “ You
may have access to our lines or air-
waves24 hours a day” , they say W ill
they nurse you through a nervous
breakdown or bankruptcy? Howev­
er, the message for some w ill be,
“ There’s got to be money here some­
where” .
On the lighter side, there are the
children in your home (don’t cringe).
The family market is certainly b o o m ­
ing and we may look forward to many
enjoyable evenings o f togetherness -
after we bring in the m ilitia to sort out
the time-share allocations for on-line
shopping, banking, gossip, homework
or any other o f the electric electronics.
Vistas at hand: And be wary o f many
o f the new CD-ROMS.
And, o f course, i f you get really
caught up in the game, you can learn
how to create and distribute your
own dowments on the “ W orld Wide
Web” , Also, you may go down to
your favorite bookstore and spend
from $4.95 to $495 on relevant books,
manuals, guides, and “ Yellow Pag­
es” -- or just order them on The Net!
What in the world was I thinking of?
Have fu n , and d o n ’ t become
“ roadkill” -- the environment, you
know.
Citizens Committed
to Community
A group called Citizens Committed to Community (the 3 C ’s) is
w orking to bring economic development to the Portsmouth neighborhood
o f north Portland.
According to Pat Johnson, co-chair, the group is comprised o f people
from the Portsmouth Neighborhood Association, Columbia Villa/Tama-
racks Residents Council, Housing Authority o f Portland and the city.
“ Our mission is to bring economic development o f a commerc ial center
to all residents o f the Portsmouth neighborhood, Johnson said. “ Some o f
your neighbors w ill be coming to your home with a survey for your opinion
on what your needs are.”
The group holds open evening meetings once a month. A ll are residents
are welcome. Call Johnson at 735-3066 or co-chair Dolores Ireland at 283-
3761 fo r information.
Ü
M I
w
E
n
O
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c H ìf ^ î o r t l a n h © b s e r t i e r
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