In April 1994, two immigration attorneys in Scottsdale, Arizona did something no one had ever done before. They advertised their legal services to approximately 6,000 of the 9,000 discussion groups called "Newsgroups" on the Global Internet, reaching tens of millions of people. Their innovative, money-making venture netted over 25,000 customer inquiries for one night's work. The two Internet pioneers, by spending only $20.00 - the price of this book - brought in $100,000 worth of business. But they also received a flood of "flames"--E-mailed insults - from thousands of Internet users who did not want this part of the Internet used for business purposes. With one advertisement, Laurence Canter and Martha Siegel became the focal point of the violent controversy that continues to rage over commercialization of the once strictly academic Internet.

In this insightful social commentary, David Weinberger goes beyond misdirected hype to reveal what is truly revolutionary about the Web. Just as Marshall McLuhan forever altered our view of broadcast media, Weinberger shows that the Web is transforming not only social institutions but also bedrock concepts of our world such as space, time, self, knowledge-even reality itself. Through stories of life on the Web, a unique take on Web sites, and a pervasive sense of humor, Weinberger is the first to put the Web into the social and intellectual context we need to begin assessing its true impact on our lives. The irony, according to Weinberger, is that this seemingly weird new technology is more in tune with our authentic selves than is the modern world. Funny, provocative, and ultimately hopeful, Small Pieces Loosely Joined makes us look at the Web as never before.

An all-access pass to the populist insurrection brewing across the country. Job outsourcing. Slashed paychecks. A war without end, fatally mismanaged. Americans on both the Right and Left are tired of being disenfranchised by corrupt politicians and are organizing to change the status quo. In his invigorating new book, David Sirota investigates this uprising, taking us into the trenches where real change is happening–in the headquarters of the most powerful third party in America, at an ExxonMobil shareholder meeting, and on the quasi-military staging area of a vigilante force on the Mexican border. The Uprising is essential reading for anyone who wants to look beyond presidential politics at the new populism that is reshaping the American political landscape.

Needing guidance and seeking insight, the Council of Europe approached Pierre Lévy, one of the world's most important and well-respected theorists of digital culture, for a report on the state (and, frankly, the nature) of cyberspace. The result is this extraordinary document, a perfectly lucid and accessible description of cyberspace-from infrastructure to practical applications-along with an inspired, far-reaching exploration of its ramifications. A window on the digital world for the technologically timid, the book also offers a brilliant vision of the philosophical and social realities and possibilities of cyberspace for the adept and novice alike. In an overview, Lévy discusses the distinguishing features of cyberspace and cyberculture from anthropological, philosophical, cultural, and sociological points of view. An optimist about the future potential of cyberspace, he eloquently argues that technology-and specifically the infrastructure of cyberspace, the Internet-can have a transformative effect on global society. Some of the issues he takes up are new art forms; changes in relationships to knowledge, education, and training; the preservation of linguistic and cultural differences; the emergence and implications of collective intelligence; the problems of social exclusion; and the impact of new technology on the city and democracy in general. In considerable detail, Lévy describes the ways in which cyberspace will help promote the growth of democracy, primarily through the participation of individuals or groups. His analysis is enlivened by his own personal impressions of cyberculture-garnered from bulletin boards, mailing lists, virtual reality demonstrations, andsimulations. Immediate in its details, visionary in its scope, deeply informed yet free of unnecessary technical language, Cyberculture is the book we require in our digital age. --Publisher.

A lively and eclectic sequence of more than 150 concise and intellectually challenging essays in which the world's leading thinkers reflect on how the Internet has changed their modes of thought.

Drawing on a diverse array of thinkers from Plato to Kierkegaard, 'On The Internet' brings philosophical insight to the debate on how far the Internet can and cannot take us.

Despite international labour federations and a greater ease of mobility around the world, union branches still often feel isolated from one another. Democratic and empowering, the Internet is now providing a wholly new framework for communication, policy-making and collective action. Written by a leading authority on labour and information technology, this book covers the background to and the politics of this electronic revolution in the labour movement. The author provides advice on cost-effective ways for unions worldwide to benefit from the innovations. He explores the ways in which unions have responded to the new technology, and covers the key features of the Internet, including e-mail, the World Wide Web, bulletin boards and user networks. No technical knowledge is required to understand the topics, and all terms are explained.

Long with its interrelated companion volume, The Technology, Business, and Economics of Streaming Video, this book examines the next generation of TV--online video. It reviews the elements that lead to online platforms and video clouds and analyzes the software and hardware elements of content creation and interaction, and how these elements lead to different styles of video content. What are the models of this new content? What kind of cultural and societal acceleration can we expect? What are the public implications of the next-generation media system? What problems are arising? What kind of market power is emerging in media industries around the world? And how can one deal with them? The author addresses these questions with facts and figures, ranging across technology, economics, communications studies, business, policy, and law. He reviews the regulatory options, and recommends a new approach for video media. Media professionals in academia, management, technology, policy, and creative production will value the approachable yet thorough information presented in The Content, Impact, and Regulation of Streaming Video. --

When the authors advertised their legal services on the Internet, they discovered the ultimate marketing tool. How else can an advertiser reach an audience of 30 million people for free? This guide explains exactly how the Internet operates and how its incredible potential as a marketing tool can put small businesses on an equal footing with the largest corporations. Photos.

Alan Sondheim's Writing Under explores and examines what happens to writing as it takes place on and through the networked computer. Sondheim began experimenting with artistic and philosophical writing using computers in the early 1970s. Since 1994, he has explored the possibilities of writing on the Internet, whether using blogs, web pages, e-mails, virtual worlds, or other tools. The sum total of Sondheim's writing online is entitled "The Internet Text." Writing Under selects from this work to provide insight into how writing takes place today and into the unique practices of a writer. The selections range from philosophical musings, to technical explorations of writing practice, to poetic meditations on the writer online. This work expands our understanding of writing today and charts a path for writing's future.

Argues that the internet revolution should exert a far more significant influence on economic thinking and on the perception of law.