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From: eli@spdcc.COM (Steve Elias)
Newsgroups: misc.misc,news.admin,news.groups,soc.rights.human
Subject: Re: dedication
Message-ID: <1125@ursa-major.SPDCC.COM>
Date: 5 Jan 90 01:23:57 GMT
References: <$`J9$$@masalla.fulcrum.bt.co.uk>
Reply-To: eli@ursa-major.spdcc.COM (Steve Elias)
Lines: 25


 igb@fulcrum.bt.co.uk (Ian G Batten) writes:
>In the end, the net just does not matter.  Sure, it's fun.  Sure,
>it passes the time whilst your neat kernel hacks are compiling.
>Or the machine is rebooting after the panic().  But is it going
>to change the world?  Or even make you happier?  I doubt it.

i hate to plug Time magazine -- but their recent editorial
(posted in soc.rights.human) made some good points.

information/communication technologies (perhaps including usenet) are
indeed changing the world.  TV and fax have been instrumental in a
number of the 80s' civilian uprisings against totalitarianism.

as communication improves further, it might become more and more difficult 
for totalitarian governments to hide, and thus continue, their abuses.

i hope...





-- 
/* eli@spdcc.com ; 617-932-5598 */