Despite its punning chapter and section titles, The Revolution Will Not Be Downloaded looks like it will be worth reading when it is published next year:
"This book attacks the often implicit and damaging assumption that 'everyone' is online and that 'everyone' is using online resources."
I don't see this is anything new Seb. It's just Two Cultures revisited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Cultures
At least now access to technology is largely dependent on education, rather than an irrevocable accident of birth (including in developing countries to some extent).
If you want a rather insightful view of technology, try Rob Newman's History of The World Backwards, currently on BBC4:
http://tinyurl.com/39txjd
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Andy. Sure it is nothing new. But the way that those who are enamoured of the Web (including me) bang on uncritically about its impact does need watching, and to some extent countering. Seb
Posted by: AJ Cann | 17/11/2007 at 14:47
OK, 25% of the UK population have never used the Internet (source Oxford Internet Institute)(http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/microsites/oxis/). I train volunteers in the Scout Association, most of them have Internet access but a few don't; and they are frequently in areas where we need Scouting to expand: so remember the volunteers in all organisations who need training. A recent report on London stated "Fewer than
50% of Londoners have the numeracy skills
expected of an 11 year-old, and over 600,000 adult Londoners have no qualifications at all." How many of those are in the 25% of non-Internet users? (see http://www.london.gov.uk/lseb/). Thanks to the other contributors for the links.
Posted by: Howard Hills | 05/12/2007 at 10:04