The prediction, in brief:

I love the Internet. It’s going to thrive, and I’m going to be a part of it. It’s that in order for it to thrive, we must confront tough questions. It’s not easy to admit that most of what’s on the Internet is irrelevant to what I’m interested in. In some way, the computer is a wonderful ostrich hole into which we can stick our heads and our minds but still the world goes on.

Predictor: Stoll, Clifford

Prediction, in context:

In a 1995 Computerworld article, journalist Lory Zottola Dix, interviewed security expert and author Cliff Stoll about the hype over the Internet. Dix quotes Stoll saying:”I love the Internet. It’s going to thrive, and I’m going to be a part of it. It’s that in order for it to thrive, we must confront tough questions. It’s not easy to admit that most of what’s on the Internet is irrelevant to what I’m interested in. In some way, the computer is a wonderful ostrich hole into which we can stick our heads and our minds but still the world goes on.”

Biography:

Clifford Stoll was an astrophysicist who also wrote the influential books “Silicon Snake Oil” (1995) and “The Cuckoo’s Egg.” A long-time network user, Stoll made “Silicon Snake Oil” his platform for finding fault with the Internet hype of the early 1990s. He pointed out the pitfalls of a completely networked society and offered arguments in opposition to the hype. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Community/Culture

Subtopic: General

Name of publication: Computerworld

Title, headline, chapter name: An Interview with Cliff Stoll; This Security Expert, Network Pioneer and Best-selling Author is Sick and Tired of Internet Hype

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 85

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne