Ah, the days when
Peter Mansbridge had a few tufts of hair on his chrome dome. Here he is announcing to Canada the arrival of "internet" — a global network where, for $200 a year, 15 million people can share recipes. And to think MySpace has more subscribers now than the internet had in 1993.
I find this news report to be absolutely hilarious. It's not because of how they speak about computers as not just "glorified calculators" but "tools of the human spirit". That part is true. The eerie "planetarium" music alongside this commentary slays me though. As does the bad geek haircuts of the early 90s.
Here's another funny comment: "You put out a general question... and you wait." Yeah, that's the part of the internet that I always found annoying in the 90s. In this report, it's being described as one of the more revolutionary aspects of the internet. Of course, that is true too. I've forgotten what a privilege it is to have my "general" questions answered by someone who might know something. Today, I can't stand waiting for my information whatsoever.
The remark that there are "no borders on the internet" is pure nonsense even for 1993. It seems to me that the internet enables people to isolate themselves from divergent opinions as there are bountiful news, blog, and social networking sites wherein one never has to encounter a perspective different from one's own. In other words, I still think one is able to encounter greater human diversity simply by driving into another neighbourhood in your town.
And of course, 1993 also has this gem of a statement from Patty: "[Internet] has more soul than any human being I know!" Something tells me Patty is busying herself writing slashfic right now or keeping a LiveJournal.
