Hi,
I tend to think of the internet (well, specifically the WWW) as either a place for discussion within some sort of internet community, . . .
Yes. But by and large, I find it to be most useful for discussions based on a game or hobby. Outside of those two (admittedly huge) areas, most of the discussion I've seen has been pretty hopeless, with the epitome of most people's arguments being either "well, you suck" or "so and so said so, so it must be true". And, most places (including the Lounge) have their established viewpoints and taboo topics which it is most difficult to discuss in any rational manner.
. . . or as a place for easy, quick information.
Ditto. But, having found the information, how do you establish its veracity? The example you gave is fine, since sport figures' stats, etc., are public knowledge and the howling of the aficionados would be heard from Maine to California if as much as a digit is wrong :) But how to judge a less "public" piece of information -- like the duration of various battles in the middle ages (something that was brought up on the old Diablo Suggestion forum and I've never been able to settle to my satisfaction. I contended that many major battles fought with muscle and sword lasted a full day (or more) and was told that those battles only went a few hours at maximum. The question was about the desirability of endurance as a characteristic. I have yet to find a good, conclusive answer, in spite of both Internet and library sources. Not that I haven't found answers, but that they contradict each other.)
But, I *don't* look to the internet for accurate and in-depth information on a complex topic. That's what the library is for, and I'm lucky enough to have a community and a University library that are both about 5 minutes away.
Fair enough. However, I do not. I do have a community branch about that far away. I could use it to order information from the main branch or even the inter-library association (who's name escapes me). Assuming that the information arrived before I lost interest in a topic, the odds are that any smattering of books I ordered would not have enough information, or it would be too detailed, or at too high or low a level. Library searches are best done in open stacks, after finding out the general call number(s) of the topic of interest. Then browsing through a number of books, checking their indices, flipping through them for an estimation of the level the book is written at and the ability of the author to replace Somanex finally yields to one or two tomes worth reading. But for me to do so requires a minimum investment of an hour and a half of travel time plus the expense of downtown parking.
Besides, curiosity is an itch. And it does no good to promise oneself that you'll scratch the itch when you get a chance. It must be scratched immediately or it will pass, and with it the chance to experience the pleasure of learning something new. My library is seldom open in the wee hours of the night when curiosity seems to strike with the greatest fierceness :)
Perhaps all this technology has shortened my already short attention span. I cannot conceive of the people who, centuries ago, would order a book and wait, sometimes for years, for it to be delivered (sometimes, for it to be copied before it could be delivered). However, I suspect they had a much greater appreciation for their knowledge than we do now.
--Pete
I tend to think of the internet (well, specifically the WWW) as either a place for discussion within some sort of internet community, . . .
Yes. But by and large, I find it to be most useful for discussions based on a game or hobby. Outside of those two (admittedly huge) areas, most of the discussion I've seen has been pretty hopeless, with the epitome of most people's arguments being either "well, you suck" or "so and so said so, so it must be true". And, most places (including the Lounge) have their established viewpoints and taboo topics which it is most difficult to discuss in any rational manner.
. . . or as a place for easy, quick information.
Ditto. But, having found the information, how do you establish its veracity? The example you gave is fine, since sport figures' stats, etc., are public knowledge and the howling of the aficionados would be heard from Maine to California if as much as a digit is wrong :) But how to judge a less "public" piece of information -- like the duration of various battles in the middle ages (something that was brought up on the old Diablo Suggestion forum and I've never been able to settle to my satisfaction. I contended that many major battles fought with muscle and sword lasted a full day (or more) and was told that those battles only went a few hours at maximum. The question was about the desirability of endurance as a characteristic. I have yet to find a good, conclusive answer, in spite of both Internet and library sources. Not that I haven't found answers, but that they contradict each other.)
But, I *don't* look to the internet for accurate and in-depth information on a complex topic. That's what the library is for, and I'm lucky enough to have a community and a University library that are both about 5 minutes away.
Fair enough. However, I do not. I do have a community branch about that far away. I could use it to order information from the main branch or even the inter-library association (who's name escapes me). Assuming that the information arrived before I lost interest in a topic, the odds are that any smattering of books I ordered would not have enough information, or it would be too detailed, or at too high or low a level. Library searches are best done in open stacks, after finding out the general call number(s) of the topic of interest. Then browsing through a number of books, checking their indices, flipping through them for an estimation of the level the book is written at and the ability of the author to replace Somanex finally yields to one or two tomes worth reading. But for me to do so requires a minimum investment of an hour and a half of travel time plus the expense of downtown parking.
Besides, curiosity is an itch. And it does no good to promise oneself that you'll scratch the itch when you get a chance. It must be scratched immediately or it will pass, and with it the chance to experience the pleasure of learning something new. My library is seldom open in the wee hours of the night when curiosity seems to strike with the greatest fierceness :)
Perhaps all this technology has shortened my already short attention span. I cannot conceive of the people who, centuries ago, would order a book and wait, sometimes for years, for it to be delivered (sometimes, for it to be copied before it could be delivered). However, I suspect they had a much greater appreciation for their knowledge than we do now.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?