At 10:01 28/11/98 -0500, Brent Eades wrote:
>As one member of the Commonwealth to another (you guys are still in it,
>aren't you?), I say "Thanks for the reminder. The WORLD Wide Web does
>not begin and end in the continental United States."
Sure we're still in the Commonwealth. Don't you remember the recent
Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. We were the ones carrying home tonnes
of gold. ;-)
>Former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau made a droll comment
>about Canada's proximity to the American goliath; he said it was "like
>sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is
>the beast, one is affected by every twitch and grunt."
>
>So it is with the Web, IMO.
Fortunately, being in Asia Pacific, one realises that there is a very large
proportion of the Web that isn't dominated by the US. Japan, GCG (Greater
China Group - Mainland, HK and Taiwan), Korea, being double-byte character
set countries, in fact have a Web all their own. Of course, you do need a
dbcs-compatible browser and the ability to read at least one of those
languages, but it you do, you rapidly realise that the US may dominate the
English-speaking world, but the majority of the world's population doesn't
speak English. (At least, they do, but as a second language).
All the figures I've seen recently (and I get to see a lot of powerful
research in the area) indicates that the growth in the Internet over the
next few years will be largely in Asia. In fact, it won't be long before
there are more Asian internet users than there are US.
So while the US obviously still has a huge amount to contribute to its
creation, the creation itself has wrested control of itself from its
master. The internet will continue and will remain free despite the
enormous power of the portals, etc, simply because the technology is
available to everyone. To use another analogy, independent cinema still
exists and new generations of filmmakers continue to push the boundaries
despite 50-odd years of Hollywood. The Web won't be any different.
And by the way, Brent, congratulations on your new position. As one who
made the change almost exactly a year ago, I can tell you you're in for
some adjustments to the way you think and work. There will be many times
when you wonder why the hell you made the decision you did. But it's just
adjusting to a different environment. And there's something kind of nice
about getting a regular salary after years of never exactly knowing whether
you're going to be able to pay the mortgage this month. Especially when, as
I just have, you've bought a new house. (I'll post piccies after I move).
And now the old one is up for sale, so if anyone is curious about where
I've been living and working since being on this list (and for years
before), or feel like parting with some money for an historic Australian
home, check out http://www.wiredworld.com.au/mandalong/
regards,
franko
_________Frank Lee, Interactive Strategist, Writer & Developer_________
Interactive Strategist, IBM Australia Ltd & Managing Director, Wired World
Consulting.
http://www.wiredworld.com.au
'Always live your life with one more dream, because when you stop dreaming,
life becomes mundane.' -- Sara Henderson
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