February 1 begins the second of the four sections of our course. The theme for this section is State of the Net. Our primary objective is to form some sort of understanding of what Licklider’s conception of a Galactic Computer Network has become. We will want to get a sense of the sorts of people we share cyberspace with, what sorts of things people do online, and what some of the emerging trends might tell us about how the online world might evolve.

To do this, I propose shifting gears somewhat dramatically. On February 1, prior to the start of conferences, I hope to quickly and efficiently divide the class in to eight groups of five members each. These teams will work together for the next 9 lessons. I anticipate there will be a bit of confusion over what’s to be done for the next few weeks. I’ll do my best to help clarify my hopes and expectations at our next two class meetings.

As the titles of the three pie slices seem self-explanatory to me, I’ll refrain from describing them now.