Rob,
Thanks for your kind words in your other message.
You say,
"But, then again, virtual mud just isn't as satisfying as the real thing.
Nintendo is fun, but not as fun as rush hour traffic, reaching a real
par-five in two, or finding my way out of a mess of my own creation. "
I don't think you've thrown "virtual mud" on the questions I raised. Think
you've made important observations. The virtual experience, no matter how
rewarding, is rarely as satisfying as the real thing. I enjoyed playing
Duke Nukem with my colleauges at N ovell, but it was never as much fun as
the real hunting trips we went on!
Tonight I bought Clifford Stoll's book "Silicon Snake Oil." I've been
meaning to read it for some time, but I haven't taken the time. I think
Stoll makes some very interesting counter-points to the prevailing
attitudes about the Internet and the role of technology in our society.
For yeasr I've had an internal tug-a-war between surrendering myself to
the lures of technology and ill-defined but ever present apprehensions
about technology. For reasons I'm unable to explain, I've always given
into "surrendering" to the enticements of technology. But this summer, as
I was unemployed, I took the opportunity to begin to explore the other
side of my feelings.
I'm no more certain about how I feel now then I was in June. I find myself
raising questions I'm unable to answer. And so now I'm turning to external
sources, such as Stoll, hoping to find some insights that I'm unable to
produce on my own.
I'm hoping that this thread will produce some deep, reflective, and
insightful conversations on this topic. But I'm trying not to set any
expectations, as it's difficult to tell which thread will capture the
groups attention and which will not.
-- Benjamin Compton DWS Computer Consultants "The GroupWise Integration Experts" E-Mail: bcompton@emailsolutions.com http://www.emailsolutions.comLearning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>