SCD seminars to examine "Impact of Internet on World"

Internet traffic doubles every 100 days . . .

Greg McArthur Contents Search Article index Back issues Subscribe Contact us SCD	by Greg McArthur "Emerging information-management technologies" is a phrase that has recently entered our lexicon and is one that has no single, simple definition. Almost all of us have had some experience with managing information -- from placing hardcopy documents into filing cabinets to using electronic spreadsheets and word processors. But with the advent of the World Wide Web and its effect on the Internet, an entirely new set of technologies to manage and use information has materialized. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is even trying to get its arms around this phenomenon by creating a new research initiative to fund research into Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence (KDI) -- whatever that may be. As people have begun to appreciate and use the web, Internet activity has burgeoned. In a recent report by the Department of Commerce, traffic on the Internet is doubling every 100 days. Millions of people are now online around the world -- doing just about everything conceivable -- via the Internet.	Bill Moninger As the inaugural speaker for the SCD seminar series on "The Impact of the Internet on the World," Bill Moninger spoke May 27 at NCAR on "The Internet and the Relaxation of Structure." An abstract and the slides for his talk are here.
	Technology on the fast track Significantly, the report states that "information technology is truly driving the U.S. economy -- more than previous estimates had revealed." In 1994, a scant 3 million people were connected to the Internet; by the end of last year, more than 100 million people (including 62 million Americans) were using it. The report also found that "the Internet is growing faster than all other technologies that preceded it." Radio existed for 38 years before it had 50 million users; television took 13 years to reach that mark, and the Internet crossed that line in just 4 years. Series of presentations The impact that the advances in information technology have made on virtually every segment of our society would seem to merit some serious dialog. Accordingly, the Digital Information Group within SCD has planned a series of presentations on topics related to the "Impact of the Internet on the World." The series will seek to bring academics, philosophers, computing scientists, humanists, and others to NCAR and SCD to explore what it means to live and work in a world more intricately intertwined than ever before. Our first presentation took place at NCAR on Wednesday, 27 May 1998, when Dr. William Moninger lead a lively discussion on "The Internet and the Relaxation of Structure." An abstract and the slides for his talk are available at www-frd.fsl.noaa.gov/~moninger/relax/. We hope you will be able to join us for future presentations.

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