posted
(Short Rant inspired by comment by Jons over here, in the General Support section-- --but I felt it was "too political" to live there:)
quote:Originally posted by notime2work, over in the "general support" section: If you click on the links at that site, it just takes you to advertising for other websites. They are just selling advertising space.
Yeah, the insidious "interests" are making the net less and less valuable- really a crime, against sick people trying to find real information, for example, as you point out.
The REAL problem there, is that the search engines are commercial entities. If it weren't for that, and these search engines were strictly informational, run by a public library- type of entity, with no ulterior motives, the net could become much more useful again, for everybody. But that would require funding- a miniscule amount, though, by the current junta's standards-- probably 3 or 4 ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE less than (so small that it makes almost no difference compared to, something that's so small that it makes almost no difference compared to, something that's so small that it makes almost no difference compared to,(!-incredible, eh?!) what the government squanders in its wars and domestic oppression.
But any mention of even the possibility of putting even the tiniest bit of money into something with a tangible return seems to elicit all kinds of opposition, in part because the funding of most libraries comes from the local tax base rather than the governments "deep pockets". The expense of digital electronics is getting lower and lower, so tthe relative cost of such a public information service continues to decrease....
But, before such a service can start to come about in a democracy (assuming that democracy functions a substabtial part of the time here- maybe a far-fetched assumption considering the recent past....), a certain level of computer literacy must be reached. We are currently headed in the right direction, but at a slower and slower rate-- certain entities who want to "keep a cap on freedom", as well as perhaps keep their own practices hidden and continue to rake in unjust profits, are starting to realize that the net is a bit too democratic for their comfort.
It's a huge quandery. And this is where 'religion' comes into the picture, isn't it? Ideally, it prevents greed from getting too out of control. Runaway greed is usually what brings about a civilization's demise. Because many of the leading 'religious' figures of the day no longer vehemently renounce greed as they historically have, but rather, embrace it themselves, our civilization is treading on thin ice.
The net is one of the things that's stayed cool enough to keep that ice able to support us. But its threatened total commercial takeover is rotting out the ice even quicker than global warming is melting the polar caps...
May our humanistic solidarity come to the surface and prevail soon!
DaveS
[ 17. March 2006, 10:01 AM: Message edited by: HaplyCarlessdave ]
Posts: 4567 | From ithaca, NY, usa | Registered: Nov 2000
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