So far, data transporters have been receiving a disproportionate share of the total costs. For example, the rate for accessing CompuServe from Norway through InfoNet is US$11.00, while using the service itself costs US$12.80 at 2400 bps. Increased global competition in data transportation is quickly changing this picture, supported by general access to the Internet. Prices will most likely continue their dramatic way toward zero.
Powerful new search tools ————————————- As the sheer quantity of information expands, the development of adequate finding tools is gaining momentum. Our major problem is how to use what we have access to. This is especially true on the Internet. Expect future personal information agents, called "knowbots," which will scan databases all over the online world for specific information at a user's bidding. This will make personal knowledge of where you need to go redundant. Artificial intelligence will increase the value of searches, as they can be based on your personal searching history since your first day as a user. Your personal information agents will make automatic decisions about what is important and what is not in a query. When you get information back, it will not just be in the normal chronological order. It will be ranked by what seems to be closest to the query.
Sources for future studies ————————————— It seems appropriate to end this chapter with some online services focusing on the future: Newsbytes has a section called Trends. The topic is computers and communications. ECHO has the free database Trend, the online edition of the Trend Monitor magazine. It contains short stories about the development within electronics and computers (log on to ECHO using the password TREND). Usenet has the newsgroup clari.news.trends (Surveys and trends). Why not complement what you find here by monitoring trends in associated areas (like music), to follow the development from different perspectives? The music forum RockNet on CompuServe has a section called Trends. CompuServe's Education Forum has the section Future Talk. What educators think about the future of online services (and education) is always interesting. The Well, based just outside Silicon Valley in the United States, has The Future conference. UUCP has info-futures. Its purpose is "to provide a speculative forum for analyzing current and likely events in technology as they will affect our near future in computing and related areas." (Contact: info-futures-request@cs.bu.edu for subscription.) Usenet has comp.society.futures about "Events in technology affecting future computing." It is tempting to add a list of conferences dedicated to science fiction, but I'll leave that pleasure to you.
Have a nice trip!
Appendix 1: List of selected online services ============================================
To make a list of online services is difficult. Services come and go. Addresses and access numbers are constantly changed. Only one thing is certain. Some of the details below will be outdated, when you read this.
Affaersdata i Stockholm AB ————————————- P.O. Box 3188, S-103 63 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: + 46 8 736 59 19.
America Online ——————— has the CNN Newsroom (Turner Educational Services), The Washington Post, the National Geographic magazine, PC World and Macworld. AOL has tailor-made graphical user interfaces for Apple, Macintosh, and PC compatible computers, and about 300.000 users (in June 1993). Sending and receiving Internet mail is possible. Contact: America Online, 8619 Westwood Center Dr., Vienna, VA 22182-2285, USA. Phone: +1-703-448-8700.
APC —- The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is a worldwide partnership of member networks for peace and environmental users with host computers in several countries:
Alternex (Brazil). Email: support@ax.apc.org
Chasque (Uruguay). Email: apoyo@chasque.apc.org
ComLink e.V (Germany). Email: support@oln.comlink.apc.org
Ecuanex (Ecuador). Email: intercom@ecuanex.apc.org
GlasNet (Russia). Email: support@glas.apc.org
GreenNet (England). Email: support@gn.apc.org
Institute for Global Communications (U.S.A.), includes
EcoNet, PeaceNet, ConflictNet, LaborNet.
Email: support@igc.apc.org
Nicarao - CRIES (Nicaragua). Email: ayuda@nicarao.apc.org
NordNet (Sweden). Email: support@pns.apc.org
Pegasus (Australia). Email: support@peg.apc.org
Web (Canada). Email: support@web.apc.org