Jim Morris's Thought of the Week (or month, or year, ...)
Friday, February 24, 2006
Ride the Internet wave
Now that the Intenet has taken off, it will grow more and more rapidly until every man, woman, child, and dog on earth is connected. A gravitational attraction called Metcalfe's Law encourages people to join in.
Economist Brian Arthur[1] predicts the Internet will follow a pattern similar to previous large infrastructure projects, such as canals and railroads, in which the infrastructure grows robustly after an investment bubble. The Internet bubble signaled the beginning, not the end. Any business that exploits the growth of Internet use gets a natural boost.
Three enemies threaten[2]: (1) The entrenched communications interests will fight to own the net, (2) The content providers will fight to restrict copying, and (3) Governments might resist or monitor information exchange. Let’s hope they all lose.
[1] Arthur, W. Brian, “Why Tech Is Still The Future,” Fortune, November, 2003.
[2]
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020406I.shtml
posted by Jim Morris @ 9:15 PM
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