Review: The Internet
Category: Inventions
Author: Lawrence Roberts, Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn
Rating: 23%
The internet is a term coined in 1974 to refer to a global ‘network of networks’ which use transmission control protocol/internet protocol, or TCP/IP. The network grew out of ARPANET, a network which used packet switching created for and by DARPA (then ARPA). ARPANET was launched in 1969. ARPANET was primarily a network of sites, and by the end of 1971 15 sites had already been established. BBN’s Telenet, a commercial version of ARPANET, was operational in 1975- and was open to the general public. On January 1st 1983, ARPANET’s hosts were switched from NCP to TCP/IP, and in 1995 the backbone networks were replaced by commercial internet providers. The internet as the general population currently understands it is the product of Sir Tim Berners-lee’s World Wide Web project; the majority of people today access the web through web browsing software, and navigate between sites via hyperlinks and URLs. Increasingly, human activity is being relocated to the internet; social networking, media, commerce and education are now all commonly practiced through the medium of the internet. The internet is commonly regarded as a repository for the sum of human knowledge, and is therefore also seen as one of the greatest technological achievements of all time.
The internet is a great idea. How could it fail? A network to connect human beings of all races and creeds, of all nationalities must surely be a good idea. After all, Shakespeare has this to say on the nature of man:
“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in
Reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving
how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel!
In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the
world! The paragon of animals!”
So how could the internet, the connection of such beings, be a bad idea? Oh, I remember: because that’s not what mankind is like at all, Shakespeare. Mankind is greedy, and stupid, and selfish, and borderline criminal. In fact, if Shakespeare could see that on YouTube.com, Kenneth Brannagh performing Hamlet’s soliloquy of Act III, Scene I had less than one fifth the popularity of Rebecca Black performing ‘Friday’, then he would probably revise his opinions. He'd probably even leave an angry comment on it, and be shouted down by some moron with caps lock on. Sometimes the truth is ugly.
It’s often said that the internet is composed mainly of pornography. But this doesn’t quite take in the multiplicity of the network; it’s also an excellent medium for the dissemination of viruses, mass copyright infringement and various criminal activities. It has also become an ideal forum for race-hate, as well as gender-hate, nationality-hate and general hatred. It is the only place you can watch footage of a woman receiving oral sex from a Tapir. Worst of all, it has brought the shameless self-indulgence of the blog into the world.Category: Inventions
Author: Lawrence Roberts, Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn
Rating: 23%
The internet is a term coined in 1974 to refer to a global ‘network of networks’ which use transmission control protocol/internet protocol, or TCP/IP. The network grew out of ARPANET, a network which used packet switching created for and by DARPA (then ARPA). ARPANET was launched in 1969. ARPANET was primarily a network of sites, and by the end of 1971 15 sites had already been established. BBN’s Telenet, a commercial version of ARPANET, was operational in 1975- and was open to the general public. On January 1st 1983, ARPANET’s hosts were switched from NCP to TCP/IP, and in 1995 the backbone networks were replaced by commercial internet providers. The internet as the general population currently understands it is the product of Sir Tim Berners-lee’s World Wide Web project; the majority of people today access the web through web browsing software, and navigate between sites via hyperlinks and URLs. Increasingly, human activity is being relocated to the internet; social networking, media, commerce and education are now all commonly practiced through the medium of the internet. The internet is commonly regarded as a repository for the sum of human knowledge, and is therefore also seen as one of the greatest technological achievements of all time.
The internet is a great idea. How could it fail? A network to connect human beings of all races and creeds, of all nationalities must surely be a good idea. After all, Shakespeare has this to say on the nature of man:
“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in
Reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving
how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel!
In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the
world! The paragon of animals!”
So how could the internet, the connection of such beings, be a bad idea? Oh, I remember: because that’s not what mankind is like at all, Shakespeare. Mankind is greedy, and stupid, and selfish, and borderline criminal. In fact, if Shakespeare could see that on YouTube.com, Kenneth Brannagh performing Hamlet’s soliloquy of Act III, Scene I had less than one fifth the popularity of Rebecca Black performing ‘Friday’, then he would probably revise his opinions. He'd probably even leave an angry comment on it, and be shouted down by some moron with caps lock on. Sometimes the truth is ugly.
That said, these faults are not with the internet, but rather with users of the internet. The internet itself simply allows greater communication between people. It’s hard to imagine how greater communication can bring beneficial results, however; where communication is concerned, less is more. Facebook, a prominent social networking site, was invented so that people who have nothing to say could say it to more people than ever before. Another, Twitter, improved the formula by reducing the character limit for tweets, arbitrarily, to 140 characters- so that people wouldn’t have to feel so bad that they didn’t have anything to say, since you can’t really say anything in 140 characters anyway. Presumably the design will be perfected when a company creates a social networking tool which allows you to constantly remind other users of your existence, without the need for any content at all.
The internet does have one upside. Humans are so infatuated with it that they now carry devices which can access it wherever they go. These devices create radiation and heat, and as such are likely to reduce the fertility and lifespan of the user. As such, the internet is an excellent tool in the total eradication of human life. There's even an admirable thoroughness about the process: while people erase the achievements of art and culture by watching YouTube and reading blogs, radiation is ruining their ovaries and testicles. The only problem is the timescale- it’s taking too long. Eradication methods such as the smart bomb or superviruses are far more effective, and so the internet is not even king in this market.
Overall, whether it’s the propagation of human culture and learning you’re after, or the total eradication of human life as a whole, the internet is not the way to go. In theory another, less inherently evil race might make use of it, but they'd probably get sick of it within days because they wouldn't be self-indulgent enough. The internet is hereby cancelled.
