How the Internet Works

How the Internet Works

Actually, I've been wanting to write commentaries on my favorite talks at TED.com and I've finally decided to just jump into it. I'll probably be doing these in spurts.


The talks I am focusing on in this post deal with how the Internet works from a very social standpoint. This first one explains many geeks views on resource sharing:


(If the video doesn't work, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P65XdTlk4vA )

When I first watched it, I giggled a lot because it reminded me of the days when I visited local computer boards (BBSes) and conversed with people through WWIVNet. Back in 1992, it took a few days to get packets from Florida to Texas, because you had to rely on certain BBS sysops to make long distance calls (at their own expense), once or twice a day, to send and receive the packets. When I watched the video a second time, with my daughter, I realized that there are many people today, who don't understand the underlying mindset of those who were/are part of the creation and maintenance of the Internet. So I ask you to watch this video and share it, so that more people understand why computer geeks give such bemused looks when people talk about controlling internet access.



Speaking about controlling the Internet, leads us to this next video:


(If the video doesn't work, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hFk6FDrZBc )

When I first saw the title "How the Internet strengthens dictatorships", I was more than a bit sceptical of its content. After watching it, I realized that Evgeny Morozov formalized something that I had always realized was going on--not only on the Internet, but in mass media and with many institutions. I just had never truly connected it all. I appreciate this video, because knowing about how things are spun is the best way not to get sucked into it. But at the same time, you have to realize how very, very prevalent it is and don't get too down on yourself if you occasionally get caught up in a spin cycle. If there is one thing I've learned in life, it's that insisting you can't be fooled is practically a guarantee that you will be. Better to accept the possibility and cope with it.