Yay, my thread R teh popul4r!!!!111
Lartrak wrote:EVER COULD BE? I disagree. Right now the library is better for almost anything academic or scientific, but that could easily change. Probably won't anytime soon... But someday, ya know?
Yeah, I do know what you mean, but I think as long as things like freedom of speech exist, you can never be sure that you're getting credible information.
Anyway, I disagree with the public library statement. I credit the internet for who I am today. I spent hours upon hours continuously browsing when I first got access. I know things from experience on the internet.
Google is good for finding a direction to go in, but I don't use it for research often. I use Wikipedia for that. And if I do use Google for it, I make sure my sources end in .edu, not geocities.com. I would trust the my internet browsing style much more than my town's public library. Libraries are outdated. I remember doing research there before I had internet access. Finding the information I wanted was a pain in the ass even with electronic card cataloging.
Wikipedia is an OK resource, but it's really lacking compared to the alternatives. For example, I'm reading a book about the life of Woody Guthrie right now. Out of curiousity, I paid a visit to Wikipedia and checked out the Woody Guthrie article, and it's amazing how much the article left out. I've learned 100 times more about the man by reading a book, then through Wikipedia, and I'm only about a fourth of the way through the book.
Tasty Toastman wrote:http://www.internetisshit.org/print.html
Instead of having to do that crappy clicking through 50 links to read the goddamned article.
But really. This point of view is just as bad as the point of view he is condemning. The internet is useful. It does have a lot of information and uses besides HTTP.
That's his blindside really. A lot of people's blindside. They think internet, they think HTTP. Right now, from my house. I can VPN/Remote Desktop into the office where I work and do 75% of my job from right here. We use FTP to move files to our client sites. Email is the way we pass along information. If necessary we can all fire up AIM or hop on IRC and hold an improptu meeting, no matter where we are.
And speaking of HTTP alone. I can find manuals to equipment and devices from the manufacturer that have been misplaced. I can purchase items that our local stores might not carry.
I can discuss things with like-minded individuals.
No, the internet is not perfect, and it is not the end-all/be-all, but neither is it the rotting cesspit of malcontent the author would have you believe.
It is what you make of it.
I'm not going to deny, that you make some good points. The internet can be really useful for relaying information fast, like through email or AIM, but it also doesn't have the same sort of effect human interaction does. You're going to leave a much better impression on a customer of yours if you stay in contact via phone calls or actual encounters, then if you just send an email every so often.
Sorry I can't respond to everyones arguments, but I need to be writing a research paper right now, instead of browsing the internet.