Right now, I’m at the middle of an open air field concert/festival in Ho Chi Minh’s 7th district. That’s about ten kilometers away from my computer. And yeah, I’m posting on my blog. From my phone.
It’s significant only because I actually remember what it was like without the Internet. Back then questions could only be answered by going to libraries, bookstores or experts. Or you could watch the Discovery Channel and hope that you can remember the answer when the question finally came around. More often than not they would simply go unanswered. Information-on-demand was an unthinkable idea.
Fast forward 20 years, and here I am outdoors, in the middle of a field, accessing the Internet from a device that fits in my pocket. Dan Simmons’ notion of the future might not be so far out after all. Perhaps someday in my lifetime, access to a datasphere can be done from directly from within our brains. It would be something cool going to meetings parties with your brain jacked into wikipedia.
Will that final push into instantaneous information and communication finally enlighten our race enough to set aside our differences and dedicate a significant portion of our resources toward saving our planet and our fellowman? Probably not. Because like most things, the very rich and affluent will have dibs on the new technology, and the vast majority of the world’s more humble denizens will have no such access. Even more probable is that the world’s warmongers will find a way to use it for own dastardly ends.
But still… the porn would be amazing.
Sede Vacante 
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce