i dunno if the gap is getting wider. I greater percentage of the people I know now would be considered 'information gods', as compared to a couple of years ago.

I have been struck lately, though, with a read, tangible fear. I try to imagine 1980. Not in terms of games and techy-toys, but in terms of not having to wonder about anything. No fact is further from me than my keyboard at present. If I did lose my internet connection, I could at a minimum get to a library or kinkos fairly quickly. The thoughts of being completely cut-off though, inspire the kind of angst you would find in a William Gibson novel (a kind of Chiba City blues). I really don't know how I would handle not being able to educate myself instantly when I need to know something, and I don't like the feeling at all.

IMDB alone is a resource that I would be crippled without. News, weather, health, Ebay, vast tutorial resources, programming resources, do-it-yourself resources. These are somehow internalized in me now, and it is a gut reaction when I consider doing without. Maybe I need to.

Well said Bakerstreet.

I was thinking the same thing the other night. When my wife and I were deciding how to finance our houses I was able to use all sorts of great tools on the net to figure out the numbers.

But in 1980, I'd have to go the library or try to contact someone personally to see if they could help.

I have no problem with your point, Brad; I understand the angle your coming from and you are right in what you say.

I just have a problem with you calling these people "gods". To confer "god" status on a certain percentile of the general world populace because of their ability to manipulate a search engine or other news source is er, um, how shall I put this...asking for trouble...?

What did Benjamin Franklin say? There only two certainties in life, death and taxes. Gods, unlike you and me and everyone else who frequents this Message Board, are not subject to either...

MarkL. In agroup of 20 or so people, each vying as we all do for our share of wealth and power, what sort of edge would you consider a solid command of the internet to be at this point? Granted, God is a stretch, but the kind of sublimated command of information that some have would make them immediately superior in a lot of functions.

At the moment it is pretty static in that I need a box, keyboard and monitor. In 20 years, though, when my box is the size of a walkman, my moniter is projected onto my retina, and I can speak (or even think) my commands, what then? It will be very hard to differentiate external and internal intelligence at that point.

God will, of course, have that Wisdom thing, but we've muddled through with a desperate lack of it for the last ten thousand years or so, and he seems to keep taking up the slack for us

https://www.joeuser.com/Articles/InformationGodsSrikeBack.html

I've written a follow-up on it. I fully admit using the term "gods" is not politically correct. It was meant tongue in cheek.

feline decides to ask the other obvious question

where do you start learning this?

over the years on the net i have found that finding useful and meaningful information on a given topic can be quite tricky.

google (etc) are lovely, if you can work out what to call the question.

but when you arent sure of the correct wording, then were do you start?

either there is some trick i am missing, or you already have to know enough to ask the right questions in the first place.