Elon University

Archives: Expert Predictions

Computer Project Would Speed Data

By conveying so much data so quickly, using the same optical-fiber cables not used by some long-distance telephone carriers, high-speed computer networks hold the promise of many new scientific and commercial uses that could be available by the middle of this decade. These include the ability to transmit and receive data from a hybrid of television and computer. The new device would have a picture and sound of movie-like quality and the capacity to allow the viewer to manipulate the images and data displayed on the screen and instantaneously exchange information with other users.

Battle for the Soul of the Internet

[The Internet] needs to be subdivided into smaller neighborhoods. There should be high-class neighborhoods. There should be places that parents feel are safe for their kids.

Battle for the Soul of the Internet

“Clipper is not about child molesters or the Mafia but about the Internal Revenue Service” … The IRS is going to need a surefire way to track the flow of cyberbucks – and to collect its share.

The Future of the Net – As it Pertains to Lawyers

There is sure to be more order in the future on the Net. Maybe more law and order. There could hardly be less. To comfort those who might mourn the prospect of the loss of spontaniety and formless emergence that characterized the early electronic frontier, some have postulated the possibility of preserving some “electronic wilderness.” Even that will, however, be set aside and protected by law.

The Future of the Net – As it Pertains to Lawyers

We will of course develop conventions and shorthand rules and other ways of signalling understanding of context with minimum data transfer. These emerging conventions will help experienced users know when they have entered into an agreement, what kinds of protections to expect from others in a particular place, and what kinds of services are offered by various parties. They will help to determine what actions are reasonable in any given context. They will also lead to more disputes.

I Don’t Even Have A Modem

Really what they’re offering you is a mall. They want to give you an infomall where you pay for every bit of information you download, and you’ll download from a menu that some corporation has assembled … I have great hopes for the Internet, very little hope for commercial versions, and I profoundly hope that the Internet will continue to be the basis of this sort of growth.