Most
people who have access to computers know that modern technology has
blessed or bedeviled our lives with drastic changes, especially in
areas affected by the "information superhighway" of computer
networks. Few realize the full extent of the vast transformation
that will affect our lives in a future already fast bearing down on
us.
Major
changes in education
Get
ready for a major shift of much of the learning process from today's
schools and universities to the home. The present lecture
system is due for a major upgrade. Modern technology makes it
possible for the best lecturers in the world to make learning exciting
far beyond their lecture halls. Schools with limited budgets
will no longer have to struggle along with inadequate libraries.
Some of the best libraries in the world will be instantly available
worldwide. Study and discussion forums will be accessed from the
comfort of home at times convenient for the learner.
Extensive
medical and health news
Have
you wondered about your local doctor’s diagnosis or the drugs
prescribed for you? Over 10,000 medical sites are now available
on the World Wide Web; and medical experts are rating them.
Almost instant information is available on the whole range of known
medical conditions and medications. Physicians and patients will
increasingly use the Internet to get the latest medical reports.
The entire medical profession will have to keep pace with the
information available to patients.
Virtual
shopping
Tomorrow
will see the already numerous shopping sites increase by the
thousands, making on-line shopping as common as going to shopping
centers is today. Virtual shopping is already easier, faster and
just as safe as mail-order buying. Everything from clothing,
flowers, jewelry, food, books, music tapes and CD’s, cameras,
computers and electronic equipment to cars gets added to Internet
sites daily.
On-line
banking and securities trading
A
number of major banks already offer on-line banking facilities
providing savings and electronic checking accounts as well as credit
facilities on the Internet. Most banks will surely follow suit
to attract customers who want to avoid waiting in lines as well as the
bother of writing and posting checks that can get lost in the mails.
Several securities brokers already have trading sites accessible from
home computers, making it possible to buy and sell stocks and bonds
and almost all tradable securities from your desktop PC.
Travel
and hotel information and reservations
Want
to take a cruise or get airline tickets at discount prices?
Getting detailed travel information and making reservations are
already available services on the World Wide Web. One can
view worldwide maps of locations being considered as travel
destinations. Hotels, with many including special price
discounts, offer instant reservation services through the Internet.
Incredible
research facilities
Interested
in exploring the classics? They’re already at hand.
Major literary works through the 19th century can be
accessed via your home computer. When publishers can sort out
copyright problems and royalties to authors, or when peer-to-peer
sharing circumvents it, modern works will also be available. One
can now search excellent dictionaries and encyclopedias at no cost
other than the time spent on-line. With more than 3,000 new Web
sites being added daily, information on almost any subject can be
found, or soon will be, through the Internet. Computers are
already used in many research programs to analyze and report on
collected data.
Novel
interactive entertainment
Those
interested in playing games with others around the world, following
sports activities, chatting with friends or making new ones can do so
from home or from an Internet café. You can already scan photos or
take them with a digital camera and send them directly to someone
instantly; and with a camcorder attached to your computer, you can
even see the person you're talking with.
Instant
mail service
The
days of writing a letter and waiting for a month or more for a
response from a friend, a loved-one in a distant land, or a business
contact are over. With email, an instant worldwide message service
provides ease of communication as well as great savings on
long-distance phone bills. Easy, interactive messages are now
possible because you can use a computer to insert comments in any part
of the messages you receive.
Increased
business transactions
Much
business is already transacted via the Internet, and with the
increased speed of communication that will continue to develop
dramatically. Everything from viewing company products to
ordering, invoicing and paying via the Net will be part of worldwide
commerce. A great deal of company information, sales and service
facilities can be accessed now and business is destined to make giant
leaps as Internet trading flourishes.
Careers
and jobs
People
have already started using the Internet to search for and apply for
jobs. Sample CV's are easy to find on the Net, and dozens of
career sites list jobs all over the world. Thousands of colleges
and universities also have an on-line presence and distance learning
programs to be checked out by potential applicants.
We're
driving down the information superhighway at break-neck speed, with a
few of us hoping that we'll survive what Alvin Toffler called
"Future Shock." Becoming aware of what's happening in
the world of high technology seems to be an essential step in
preparing our survival kits.
The
observation, in another context, by W.B. Yeats, the Irish poet,
fits the computer revolution:
"All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born."
