Friday, September 10, 2010

Driving on the Shoulder of the Information Highway

The generations that were born on the side of the information highway ride that road easily. From the time they were toddlers watching the traffic, they have been observing and learning how it works. Now they travel effortlessly.

On the other hand, those of us born before that road was constructed sometimes have trouble changing lanes, negotiating the on and off ramps, and generally keeping out of the ditch. Like farmers driving tractors along main roads, we can't keep up with the rest of the traffic.

For those of us who remember traveling by railroad, searching for library material in large wooden cabinets full of record cards, answering only our own ring codes on party telephone lines, and listening to radios operated by large batteries, the astonishing speed of moving information can be quite a challenge at times.

Going from the transatlantic cable and Morse code to today's information highway in just a couple of generations has been a leap.

Ironically, it's the ease and speed with which information now flows that makes the system hard for the older generations to handle.

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