Posted on 10/29/2009 2:21:57 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Technology and media stars, pundits, and entrepreneurs joined the Internet's father on Thursday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his culture-changing child.
"It's the 40th year since the infant Internet first spoke," said University of California, Los Angeles, professor Leonard Kleinrock, who headed the team that first linked computers online in 1969.
Kleinrock led an anniversary event at the UCLA campus that blended reminiscence of the Internet's past with debate about its future.
"There is going to be an ongoing controversy about where we have been and where we are going," said Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the popular news and blog website that bears her name.
"It is not just about the Internet; it is about our times. We are going to need desperately to tap into the better angels of our nature and make our lives not just about ourselves but about our communities and our world."
Huffington was on hand to discuss the power the Internet gives to grass roots organizers on a panel with Kleinrock and Social Brain Foundation director Isaac Mao.
"The Internet is a democratizing element; everyone has an equivalent voice," Kleinrock said. "There is no way back at this point. We can't turn it off. The Internet Age is here."
Kleinrock never imagined Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube that day 40 years ago when his team gave birth to what is now taken for granted as the Internet.
"The net is penetrating every aspect of our lives," Kleinrock said to a room of about 200 people and an equal number watching online.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
It must bring tears to Algores’ eyes! ~sarc
That is so cool. Who knew the internet was so awesome to be 40 years old in 2009. I of course turned 40 and so did the majority of my Facebook Friends...lol. Ok a good many are high school and college friends and even some military friends.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
It takes Al Gore back to the days when his momma sang him to sleep with the 1975 jingle "Look For The Union Label..."
I’ve been on the internet since the days of Reagan.
At least people don’t use AOL boards anymore...
If Obama is re-elected, he would have nothing to loose if he controlled the internet......or anything else.
What do you mean by that? Was AOL the place to see and be seen at one time?
My kids can’t believe that I grew up without an Internet, e-mail, Facebook or video games. They find it hard to believe that, for fun, we would play outside, make a fort in the backyard out of wood scraps we foraged around the neighborhood, ride up and down the street on bikes outfitted with wooden clothespins and playing cards that slapped against the spokes.
On rainy days, we’d have a friend or two over and play pirates inside while Mom did the laundry and Dad listened to an LP of big band music on the stereo.
Our toys were Lincoln logs, Matchbox cars, little green GI Joe figures and erector sets coupled with good old children’s imagination. I once constructed a ‘fort’ in the hallway of Mom & Dad’s house out of two dining room chairs, a board and a blanket off of Mom’s bed.
Too bad today’s kids don’t do stuff like that anymore.
No, there was a time when those using AOL and Compuserve thought they had the greatest thing since sliced bread. Usenet existed but they thought the corporate forums were better.
The BBS monopoly on forums went away when access to the internet went mainstream.
Ahhh. I still remember my first AOL account around 1996.
I also remember how hard it was to cancel.
I had real problems with my bank because of them a-holes.
I can’t believe AOL is still around.
LOL That opinion and two cents will get you...
...well nothing really.
Tell me, is there really an ongoing controversy about where we have been?
I mean other than Al Gore claiming he invented the internet...
When I was a kid on the farm I used to use a few leftover bricks as my trucks. Looking back, that’s probably where my problems started. LMAO
I agree with your take on things. Honestly, I think we had the better childhoods.
I was first exposed to ARPANET in 1978, using an external modem (just force your handset into the rubber foam booties) running at 300 bps. Our dream was to get dial up lines clean enough to step up to 1600bps— and sometime in the distant future— 9600bps!!!
hh
Was Gore at the party? Was the party in honor of his inventing the internet? Right.
I followed the first Gulf War on Prodigy using a Mac II. How far this thing has come since then.
And why not? In its heyday, Compuserve *was* pretty close to sliced bread in greatness. CIS had the most active and useful content available anywhere and all in one place, sort of a microcosm of the Internet of today. It was also the first commercial network to implement direct access to the Internet (via PPP connection, therefore becoming an ISP)
Compuserve's downfall is that they were too slow to realize the powerful potential of their assets, were too insular in opening it up, and charged outrageous rates for hourly connections ($22.50/hour for 2400bps at one point!)
Oh my. I remember those days too....and what a big deal it was to receive a FAX!
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