“Internet2′s New Leader Outlines Vision for Superfast Education Networks”

I read Jeff Young’s article,“Internet2′s New Leader Outlines Vision for Superfast Education Networks”.

If you are like me, I first needed to understand what Internet2 was all about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet2 From what I can tell, it is an association of universities, businesses, and individuals, which operates a high powered internet network that is more conducive to research.

H. David Lambert, the new leader the article refers to, gave a speech at its member meeting in November in Atlanta. He felt that universities need to provide leadership in our society and that the Internet is a crucial tool in making that happen.

As with almost everything else in our world, universities are going “global”. Obviously, the Internet goes hand in hand with globalization and the universities need to compete globally.
Internet2’s latest project is to bring broadband to “communities” through government funding. “If we can do that, I guarantee it will make a difference when we go fight public funding battles,” Lambert said.

I agree that the universities need the best Internet tools available and that these tools will make an incredible difference, not only here, but in our impact on the rest of the world.

I am not sure what to think about bringing the Internet to the communities. As with everything else, the Internet has its strength and weaknesses. It is an obvious cornucopia of information. I can’t believe how quickly I can find information on anything I want in seconds. On the other hand, it has opened the door to incredible wickedness in the form of pornography and all sorts of other evils that is spinning out of control and may ultimately negate any benefits to mankind the Internet has to offer.