HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Nov 2, 2003 Many might consider the Internet as just another example of technology gone astray; I consider it a godsend. As a part-time writer by trade, it's a crucial and essential part of my working existence.(And all you fellow writers know exactly what I'm talking about!) Doing research is actually fun. br> What used to take several hours and sometimes days now takes a few minutes, or for a writing assignment, an hour or less. And I can e-mail or e-fax to any publication worldwide, for free. Fabulous! (Before, you had to trudge papers and manuscripts to the post office, weigh everything, spend on postage, and pray to God that your stuff got there on time, if at all. That's one "old- fashioned way" I'll never miss! The Internet is endlessly fascinating to me. Even while checking out personal interests info, I always learn something new or get an opportunity to relive a fond memory or great music. Were you aware that for practically any hobby or interest you may have or ever thought of, there's a group in cyberspace waiting for you? (I'm not referring to chat rooms.) I feel in step with the world, watching and reacting to events, often as they unfold. 34 years ago on Oct.29th, 1969, the Internet was created. (The @ symbol was adapted for public use in 1972.) From sources I've read, I belelieve the Internet was first used for military and government operations. Many people took part in creating the Internet as we know it, but the World Wide Web (www.)and HTML was the product of one man, Tim Berners-Lee. In 1980, Mr.Berners-Lee designed a set of software to access and keep track of all his notes on his acomputer through random links. It was called ENQUIRE. Then he thought about the possibility of linking information on many computers worldwide. After several years, he created the first browser and server in December, 1990. Many, including his friends, were skeptical. But Lee continued on. Early name considerations for 'that hypertext thing' included "The Mesh" and "The Information Mine", but he thought the abbreviation-TIM-would be too egotistical. He finally settled on "World Wide Web." (Did you know that he never took out a patent for this? He wanted to ensure its growth; he believed that by patenting, www. would never have taken off.) And the rest, as they say, is history. As of Sept.2002, the world total of online users was 605.6 million. Canada and the U.S. had the greatest amount-182.67 million, Europe-190.91 million, Asia/Pacific-187.24 million, South America-33.35 million, Africa-6.31 million, and the MIddle East-5.12 million. The top 10 countries in Internet usage,as of 2002, are 1. The U.S. 2. Japan 3. China 4. Germany 5. U.K. 6. South Korea 7. Italy 8. Canada 9. France 10. India The largest search engines(for worldwide, English speaking and the U.S.), as of January 2003, are 1. Google 2. Yahoo 3. MSN Search 4. AOL The top 10 websites(as of April 2003) are: 1. AOL 2.MSN-Microsoft sites 3. Yahoo 4.eBay 5. Google 6. About 7. Terra Lycos 8. Gator 9. Amazon 10. Viacom The top 10 entertainment sites(April 2003)are: 1. Viacom Online 2. Windows Media 3. Realcom Network 4. eUniverse Network 5. Sony Online 6. AOL Prop Entettainment 7. MSN Entertainment 8. Cox Enterprises Inc. 9. Disney Online 10. UGO Networks The top 10 General News sites(April 2003)are: 1. CNN 2. MSNBC 3. AOL Prop News 4. Yahoo! News 5. New York Times Digital 6. ABC News Digital 7. Knight-Ridder Digital 8. BBC sites 9. CBS sites 10. Foxnews.com The top 10 Travel sites(April 2003) are: 1. Mapquest.com 2. Expedia Travel 3. Orbitz.com 4. Travelocity 5 Trip Network Inc. 6. AOL Prop Travel 7. Southwest.com 8. Priceline.com 9. Hotwire.com 10. Yahoo! Travel Top Government sites, as of March 2002, are: 1. IRS.gov 2. Governmentguide.com 3. NASA.gov 4. CA.gov 5. ED.gov 6. NIH.gov 7. NOAA.gov 8. State.tx.us 9. Army 10. Navy.mil What do kids do online? 86.1% of 14-17 year-olds do schoolwork, while 82.1% of this group read, answer, or send e-mail. 61.0% play games. 66.4% of 5-9 year-olds play games. 76.6% of 10-13 year-olds do schoolwork, while 63.8% handle e-mail. 64.7% play games. For 5-9 year-olds, 46.9% do schoolwork, and 43.2% answer and send e-mail. Over 90% of 18-54 year-olds and 55+ send and receive e-mail, over 70% have used a search engine. At least 60% have entered contests or sweepstakes, and have gathered local information. Over 60% have researched products and services. I believe that Dell has possibly the best commercial and one of the most innovative line of computers around. Just when you think they couldn't come up with anything better than their last product, they do. There ARE other computer brands that I like, but I'm constantly AMAZED by Dell(The company was founded by Michael Dell, now only 38! He begun by selling computers out of his dorm room at the University of Texas). They totally deserve their success. And I'm not being paid by Dell to say this! ------------ Email Patricia Jacobs: Patj25@yahoo.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
