Introduction
Potential of the Internet. The internet can do as much good for mankind as the printing press has done in advancing access to information. Already, the internet has made this world "smaller"; making it possible to have a truly global community in the future.
We should never forget however that the internet is a mere technology (medium); whether we realize its potentials will depend on how we put it into use.
Use and abuse of technology. An analogy that comes to mind is the origins of the "discovery and use" of nuclear power. Even if one can justify its role in ending the war with Japan, it was unfortunate that its first practical use by mankind was as a power for destruction. Thus, even if nuclear power has been put to good use in other endeavors, how could we ever forget what "evil" it can do to mankind? It did not help, that during the past few decades, we have witnessed some of the most horrible dangers of nuclear power -- Windscale in Great Britain, Three-mile Island in the United States, Chernobyl in Russia, the nuclear disaster in Japan and countless other incidents that have not gained as much media coverage -- all because of neglect or unwise cost-cutting measures taken to maximize profit.
As a result, even some rational scientists have seen mainly the potential dangers of nuclear power rather than the good it could do. Imagine how different our attitudes would have been to nuclear power if nuclear power has first demonstrated its potential in noble endeavors like cancer cure, sanitation, food preservation, etc.
To reap the benefits they bring, mankind has learned to live with the impact and dangers associated with certain technologies. What is unique about nuclear power, is that the "nuclear wastes" or the fall-out from a nuclear disaster (be it from a nuclear power reactor or a bomb) is that they can leave a very hazardous legacy that will remain with us for hundreds or even tens of thousands of years. In fact, some diabolical minds, are fully aware of the latter -- they do not have to make their own nuclear bombs, because it would be just as efficient to explode a nuclear reactor and create longImage term disaster. However, governments have become more aware of the latter danger, especially after the September 11, 2001 incident has shown how easy to use existing technologies to create so much devastation.
What we seem to ignore are the potential dangers that come from neglect and deliberate policies. Because of increasing dependence from foreign oil, as well as pressure from the powerful lobbies of the energy industry, there has been a move to extend the lifespan of old nuclear power reactors in the United States that were originally rated for 40-50 years lifespan only. The situation is not much different in some countries, like those in the former states of the Soviet Union.
It is the case that there are now safer reactors to harness nuclear power to benefit mankind. It is also the case that there are ways to handle nuclear wastes more properly so that they will have less impact on the environment and on people. When push comes to shove however, the nuclear power industry and the government are unwilling to invest the resources and funds to make nuclear power more safe. As a result, the threat of nuclear power, as it is used today, is a time bomb waiting to explode -- that could even be more devastating and lasting than the September 11, 2001 disaster.
The internet as it is evolving today, is at the same crossroad as it was for nuclear energy in the 1940's and the succeeding decades. Without proper guidanc,e or in fact with deliberate policies by both governments, industries and other policy makers, the internet can culminate into the "Big Brother" that everyone so dreaded but seem unable to contain.
However, the internet does not have to become another instrument to our physical and intellectual enslavement -- if we strive and participate actively so that it can be molded towards the benefit of mankind.
Crossroads.
Sometimes, even good intention is not enough. How often has mankind suffered from the well-intentioned goals of individuals who have not pondered thoroughly the impact of their actions? DDT, for example, was meant to rid us of many insects and other pests that could have eradicated such scourges of mankind, like malaria. Instead, overuse of DDT brought many species to the brink of extinction. The same can be said of the introduction of African bees in America, rabbits in Australia, as well as introduction of other plants and animals (sometimes as pets) to places where they were not indigenous.
All the above caused ecological havocs not envisioned by those who introduced them, sometimes with good intentions. Part of the problem is that there is just no way sometimes of knowing fully in advance the impact of new technologies. Today, we face the same dilemma with genetically manufactured organisms (GMOs). As a technology, GMOs has so much potential for good to help alleviate food scarcity; and yet, it may have unforseen dangers so far not anticipated with our existing knowledge and experience.
The internet today is at the same crossroad as nuclear power was in the 1940's. We will decide whether the internet will bring humanity good or it will become a "tyrant" -- depending on how we understand and use its power.
Looming dangers in the internet
Invasion of Privacy. Perhaps you are now aware how the internet has empowered us to access vast body of information so easily. However, that same ease in accessing information is a "double-edged sword" -- it enabled others also to invade our privacy just as easily.
Nothing seems to be inviolable anymore.
While many have seen the danger of such invasion of privacy from the government, we fail to recognize or prefer to ignore a greater source of intrusion to our privacy -- private companies and institutions (many we do not suspect), including "non-profit" organizations, medical institutions, etc. The New York Times has published articles of how political candidates gather information about you when you visit their website.
Before the crash of the "dot.com" industry, some of the business "policy makers" [sic] considered archived personal data, as a commercial commodity that could be gathered and traded at will by the "dot.coms", even without the person's consent. "Cookies" are left in computers or other diabolical codes are integrated surreptitiously in formatted internet page, advertisements, etc. All these were meant to track your internet viewing habits.
The moment you get into a commercial website in the internet, most likely data is gathered about your internet activities -- what sites you have visited, how often, when and what you are looking for, to mention just a few that can be accessed readily about your activity. While you may be able to employ some diabolical subterfuge (e.g., using a different internet name) to hide your identity, many software programs have been developed to thwart your efforts so that they will be able to identify even your location or name. Many savvy websites can even access the code of your computer by planting "cookies" in your computer. Armed with other information that can be bought readily from other sellers of personal information, these sites have the power to identify you more specifically -- social security number, address, financial and medical records, debt history, etc. -- if they have interest to do so.
Tracking the behavior of individuals and groups has been a preoccupation of social scientists, poll takers, the advertising industry and all companies that have something to sell. However, previous studies or "ratings" usually just involved a small "statistical sample" of a population. With the coming of the internet and increasing power of computers in terms of speed, automation and storage capacity, it is now theoretically possible to monitor the behavior of every individual connected to the internet.
The information gathered about us can be used against us. You may have been denied a loan, insurance, medical insurance or not considered for a job or promotion because the "profile" gathered of you was not "desirable". If it is inaccurate, data mining companies have no interest to rectify the errors nor any legal liability for the consequences of such erroneous data. [A more detailed and documented discussion on invasion of privacy will be presented in another section.]
Free Speech and Censorship. If some forces in our society will have their way, they would want to take our right to free choice. In fact, to a certain extent, these forces have succeeded -- many of the search engines nowadays employ some sort of "filtering" -- so that many sites may not be accessible to you already, without your knowledge.
The "guardians of morality" are the main advocates of censorship; but even some of the more liberal forces in our society can be guilty in advocating for censorship. [On the other hand, even I sometimes find it difficult to accept the stance of ACLU to defend some "unpopular groups", even if I know that in principle they are correct in doing so.]
Advocating free speech and opposing censorship are very difficult issues to deal with -- partly because many members of our society have forgotten that the freedom to speak our mind also requires the responsibility to be sensitive to the feelings and rights of others. We forgot that we exist not solely as individuals but also as members of a community.
Overcommercialization. Invasion of our privacy is motivated mainly by the increasing competition among various entities who view us mainly as consumers of their products or services.
All those freebies that we get from the internet -- free e-mail, calendars, webpages, etc. -- are in exchange for a more invaluable information, the most important details about our person. It has become such an economic necessity to know information about individuals such that "data gathering (or mining) and selling of information" is one of the booming sectors (if not the backbone) of the internet economy.
If you consider these "trade-offs", what we assume to be free (e-mails, webpages, etc.), in fact, comes at a much greater price -- the lost of our freedom to control how the most intimate details about our humanity is used. The greater tragedy is that we have given up our privacy, without much of a fight.
Monopolistic trends. The internet is still at its infancy; and yet, if you look closely, you will find that the "800-pound gorillas" in each sector of the industry want to annihilate the competition.
In many instances, the strategy worked to the detriment of the consumer. Many internet sites may no longer be available to you because of self-serving monopolistic collusions among these giants to get a greater share of the market. Some search-engines nowadays would place at the top of your search results the names of companies that have paid them "fees" to be given such priority.
The promise therefore that the internet will allow us greater choices is diminishing very fast, unless we give more attention to figt the trend.
There are forces that can thwart such monopolistic trends eventually, including the birth of a new technology. But such forces or new technologies require time to take their course -- usually several decades or even beyond our lifetime. In the meantime, we suffer the consequences of monopolistic practices.
Charting the Direction of the Internet
Do we have a choice? Many people decry this state of the internet -- invasion of privacy, overcommercialization and monopolistic trends in the building of the infrastructure of the internet -- where we as individuals are viewed merely as "consumers".
If all of us who care about these issues can band together, we may be able to shape the future of the internet so that we can create an internet community that would be more respecting of our privacy and humanity. This is almost a quixotic goal and many of my friends have dissuaded me from embarking on such path.
When confronted with the seemingly insurmountable obstacles, I seek solace in the words of Tolstoy (quoted above). To give up the fight, without exhausting our defenses, could cost the surrender of our "soul".
Such path do not have to be in conflict with our "economic pursuits" -- all of us, after all, have something (goods and services) to exchange with others in order to survive. All we desire is to create an internet environment that will treat us more as human beings rather than as mere consumer of goods and services.
Role of "Treasures of the Internet"
Focus and goals. One of the long term goals of this page is to ally with others who want to provide an alternative internet environment that is more respective of our privacy and humanity. How we hope to achieve this goal in this page is discussed in the policies section.
This webpage, as the name implies, will attempt to seek the diamonds in the riverbed and share the treasures we find with everyone. In doing so, we hope that this will inspire individuals to strive to achieve their best and share their talent and legacy with mankind.
We cannot do this on our own though; thus we invite you to share our vision and join with us to realize the dream. Whatever you do, you have something to contribute that may help others -- as much as you may have found the contents of these pages useful.
The pages of Treasures of the Internet is meant to reflect the culmination of integrated (collective) effort, rather than individual creativity, to serve the common good. This is part of the experiment of the page -- that we can act as a community rather than mere collection of individuals.
However, in the future, when resources permit, we will create a separate "page", bearing the name of 'Treasures of the Internet, that will focus on individual creativity -- within the framework of the principles and policies of "Treasures of the Internet".
Format and Content. Aside from creating a cohesive page, (unlike the individual webpages found in Yahoo-Geocities, Tripod, WBS, etc.), every effort will be taken so that the pages of "Treasures of the Internet" will not contain very intrusive advertisements.
However, we do not have control to the outside links cited in the pages. Thus, to minimize "advertisements" even in the outside links, we will give priority in archiving sites from "non-commercial", e.g., pages created by academic institutions, non-profit organizations, legitimate government sources (e.g., US National Archives), etc. [See additional notes under policies below.]
Citation of reliable sources will help ensure the veracity of the contents of 'Treasures of the Internet". In this regard, the mere existence of a internet site does not establish legitimacy or authority.
Point of View. As "host" of "Treasures of the Internet", I shall exercise a great degree of tolerance on what will be allowed in these pages. However, whether we like it or not, everyone of us has personal convictions that we hold dear and fight for. [This is the main motivation why I set up this page.] Thus, every visitor must have a chance to know some of those views that are dear to me (some reflected here already) to be discussed in greater detail in a separate page (to be linked here in the future).
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This policy about intrusive advertisement shall be balanced by the practical need for financial resources to maintain this webpage. At present, the cost of maintaining the website is subsidized by your host. In the future, we may need to solicit sponsors and cite them in a manner that will not detract from or conflict with the stated goals and policies of this website. The "Innovative BiomedicaLAB" sponsor logo (with a link to the main webpage of the sponsor) is a sample of such citation in the future. Definitely, no distracting streaming nor pop-up ads.
Policies of the Treasures of the Internet
Free Speech and Censorship. We believe that censorship is a cop-out -- an abdication of our responsibility as individuals to make prudent and responsible choices.
However, because of limited resources, the pages of Treasures of the Internet will not be a party to groups that masquerade under the guise of "free speech" to demean specific groups, race or religion in our society. On the other hand, historic segregation or maltreatment of specific groups, races or religion shall not be tolerated as an excuse for "reverse bigotry" and will not be allowed in the pages of "Treasures of the Internet". [They can always exercise their right to create their own webpage.]
Irresponsible writing or dispension of personal views is one of the objectionable aspects of the internet. Treasures of the Internet believes in the principle that anyone who has something to say must be willing to stand by it. Otherwise, a person does not deserve the right to participate in a public forum.
[My models for responsible exercise for "free speech" are Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi -- who were willing to make the sacrifice to stand by their convictions.]
We do not expect you to make the same sacrifices as those aforementioned great human beings. However, at the very least, we expect unsolicited contributions to the pages and participation in reader response sections of "Treasures of the Internet" to include legitimate address and e-mail. We reserve the right to reject or remove any material without verifiable address and e-mail.
For the aforementioned purposes, volunteer "Ombudsman" committee, "Advisory group" and "Community Leaders" will be set up to advise us in ensuring the quality of the contents of the pages. However, we reserve the right ultimately to exercise editorial control on what gets included in the pages of "Treasures of the Internet". As host of these pages, I reserve the right to exercise editorial control and make the ultimate decision on issues of dispute.
On Privacy. Read more about how breach of privacy can have grave repercussions. The section on privacy also includes links to key newspaper articles (New York Times and BBC) and organizations that advocate strict privacy rules.
With our view on privacy, "Treasures of the Internet" provides its solemn promise that you will not be monitored when you visit this page; neither will we divulge nor share (knowingly with others) any information that you will provide -- unless required by law.
Whenever possible also, we shall cite links that have defined "privacy policies". We have no control on outside links though, as a visitor to any webpage, you should exercise your wise judgement whether you should continue any further in exploring an outside link.
Parental Supervision.The focus of the pages of "Treasures of the Internet" will be educational and intended for individuals who want to learn more beyond what is readily available in the confines of formal education.
Towards this goal, there may be "mature and controversial contents" in certain sections in the future. To rate these sites in the pages of "Treasures of the Internet" will just attract unnecessary attention.
Thus, parents shall have the responsibility and decide whether any minor in their household are ready to view certain sections of the pages of "Treasures of the Internet". If a parent is not willing to take this responsibility, we advise you " to filter" the entire "Treasures of the Internet". [Please read the disclaimer section.]
Volunteer work. This page will rely mainly on "volunteer" spirit; thus, do not expect any financial gains when participating to develop this page. However, a separate page for each section will be created to credit and recognize all contributors, editors and sponsors to recognize the specific contributions of individuals or organizations to "Treasures of the Internet". In the said section, each contributor will be allowed to link to their own personal webpages (or create a page within Treasures of the Internet for personal profile). We reserve the right to delete a link, if we discover that such a link does not conform to the principles and policies of "Treasures of the Internet".
We recognize that in citing the specific contribution of individuals in developing the pages, it can establish their "depth of knowledge" in a given discipline or their creative genius (design, layout, work of art included here, etc.). Thus, while there is no direct monetary gains from initial contribution to these pages, the above recognition of "expertise and/or creativity" may be useful in a resume.
Also, to support further development of these pages, we may apply for grant support in the future and we may use the talent pool, from our contributors and editors, to become part of such grant proposals.
Under no circumstance will any individual or organization use the name of or try to represent "Treasures of the Internet" for any purpose. All solicitations for grant support will emanate from the main headquarters of "Treasures of the Internet".
Copyright. Intellectual property and copyright is a very contentious issue in the age of internet. The position of this webpage on this issue will be explored, in the future, in a separate section on Copyright.
Basically, we respect the right of individuals, companies or organizations to have control of their creations. However, we view that "public treasures" in non-profit museums, universities and other institutions that receive government grants, subsidies or donations from foundations or even individuals must be considered as "legacies" to mankind.
How you can help develop this page
If you agree with the policies and goals of "Treasures of the Internet", there are a number of ways so that you can help develop the site -- irrespective of your age, sex, ethnic group, or whatever status -- provided you adhere to the restrictions and policies discussed herein.
You can become a:
- Page Contributor
We encourage you to capitalize on your unique background to develop specific sites that are desired in "Treasures of the Internet". Some of the topics we are interested with are included in each of the "letters" above. - Site Developer
The topics listed in each of the "letters" are not exhaustive. If there are topics that you want to develop further, please let us know by sending a synopsis of your idea.
Even if the topic you are interested with is already in existence, you can do a make over, if you think you can add significantly to the information in an existing page. Alternatively, you may wish to get in touch with the existing contributor(s) and editor(s) so that you can collaborate to make the page even better and/or updated regularly. @ Please note however that, in the interest of fairness, previous contributors to a page will be cited in the "contributors" section. - Member of the Education Brigade
Self-education is one area where the internet can be of great help. If you are a teacher or yearn to be an "informal educator", we encourage you to join the education brigade and develop plans that will allow a novice visitor to learn the basics and eventually become an expert on a topic. Primarily because of this objective in mind, we are very selective, rather than comprehensive in the links included here.
The topics can have academic relevance, e.g., arts appreciation, literature, music appreciation, etc. However, we are interested also with topics that have practical use, referred to here as "how to's...". For example, "How to create a webpage.", "How to cook 'sinigang'", etc. - Page Artist and Photographer
As you can see, the layout and the artistic quality of the page can lend itself to a good make-over. Before you make any suggestions however, please read the rationale for the current layout chosen. - Adviser/Expert Consultant
Many individuals have spent great efforts to develop sites that contain quite a great deal of information. The educational use of such site will improve greatly, if only experts would lend their educated "knowledge" in the field. So, if you are in the academe or have scholarly grasp of any area -- but do not have time or expertise to develop a page -- you will still be able to contribute significantly to the development of a page by becoming a "constructive critic", i.e. make suggestions, guide the primary contributors to references that they may have missed, etc. - Computer Expert
For some reason, we have accepted defective products from many computer software and hardware companies and do not even demand good customer service. More recently, even the manuals are missing these days.
Until we find a way to demand and expect a minimum quality of service, we have to find a way to deal with the exasperating aspects when we cannot make a software work or learn what to do when a computer crashes.
So, if you have any expertise in computer software or hardware, help us develop "how to's..." about any aspect computers and software. - Community Leader
One of my greatest peeves during internet search includes the "page not found" when you click on a linked site. We need volunteers therefore who will be vigilant to ensure that specific pages of interest will have up-to-date links eliminating obsolete ones and suggesting alternative sites that would conform to the policies and goals of the site. - Ombudsman
People who advocate for certain causes sometimes can have a "blind spot". An "Ombudsman" would be a welcome addition to advise us and ensure that the site will not violate ethical rules. - Sponsor
One of the goals of this page is to tap on the "volunteer spirit" of every human being. However, maintaining a page like the one we hope to create will require quite a significant amount of funding, to cover salaries of support staff and operational expenses, if it is to succeed. So, if you happen to like what we are doing and have the means to be generous, consider contributing to this project. [If you are ready to do so, please notify us well in advance so that we can set up the mechanism to accept your contribution (with proper tax deduction).]
Disclaimer, Disclosures and Warning
Disclaimer
We strive to be accurate but we do not guarantee the information provided here; in part because of the dynamism of the world we live in -- new discoveries are made and things change so fast these days -- rendering some information obsolete. More critical, I and the contributors are not experts on every discipline included here; so if you find any incorrect information, please write to us (with proper documentation) so that the error can be rectified.
With these caveats, you will not hold "us" responsible (legal, moral or in any other way you can think of) for consequence(s) of any inaccuracy contained herein.
If you are not prepared to accept these conditions, exercise your right not to read this page. Otherwise, you have been forewarned.
Disclosure
The original contents of the "Treasures of the Internet" were developed by your host and the volunteers who responded to our invitation to help build this page. [The names of volunteers will be included in a separate site -- "Friends of Treasures of the Internet.]
The name "Treasures of the Internet" is owned by your host (CGC) and is supported currently from personal finances and by "iblab.com", a holding company owned by the host of Treasures of the Internet.
CGC reserves full right and ownership to the names Treasures of the Internet, treasuresoftheinternet.org, treasuresoftheinternet.com and treasuresoftheinternet.net.
The name treasuresoftheinternet.org will be the non-profit component of "Treasures of the Internet". This non-profit arm of "Treasures of the Internet" will allow acceptance of support from individuals, foundations, companies and other organizations to help support the operation of the webpage.
The entity treasuresoftheinternet.com, in collaboration with "iblab.com" and faculty/staff from universities, schools and non-profit entities, will explore SBIR/STTR grant mechanisms to avail of federal government research grants to fund projects for "Treasures of the Internet" that have educational, scientitific or medical goals.
The entity treasuresoftheinternet.net, in collaboration with "iblab.com" will explore internet projects that will further the goals of "Treasures of the Internet" but cannot be accomodated in the main page of the Treasures of the Internet. The projects will include, but not limited to, economical webhosting and technical help for individuals and groups that have "non-commercial" educational, artistic or cultural objectives. Priority for web-site hosting will be given to contributors and editors of "Treasures of the Internet".
When resources permit, treasuresoftheinternet.net will serve also as mirror sites for archives and other exceptional websites developed by other groups that have "non-commercial" educational, artistic or cultural objectives. This goal will help relieve the "traffic" in some of these frequently accessed sites.
The activities and operations of the above entities must adhere to the goals and policies of "Treasures of the Internet" and must not perform any activity that can compromise the integrity of the name "Treasures of the Internet".
Warning.
In no way will the name "Treasures of the Internet" be used to endorse any site, individual, product, organization or institution -- even if these entities were linked in the pages of Treasures of the Internet.
Except for those specified above, no individual, organization or institution will use the name or falsely claim to represent "Treasures of the Internet" in any effort to raise funds or sell any product.
This is a dummy break. Just to test the length of the width of the index section. and what happens to it.
Notes:
- This article is part of the original "Why this page?" section written on 4th January 1999 and included as the Introductory section of the Original Treasures of the Internet. A position paper outlining why Treasures of the Internet was created.
- For historical authenticity, the errors and the original links (as updated on 20060328) were kept as is. Except for the change in layout with the new page format there was no further edit to the content from the original and the revision.
- Because of the change in site, it was no longer tenable to maintain the original links, without causing "Page not found" errors. Unless archived, the original links in this article were removed (20090925).
- The list below is a complete outline of the contents of the "Why this page?" section, using the links in this website (not the original page).
Why this page?
- Introduction
- * Potential of the Internet
- * Use and abuse of technology
- * Crossroads
- Looming dangers in the internet age
- * Invasion of Privacy
- * Free Speech and Censorship
- * Overcommercialization
- * Monopolistic Trends
- Charting the Direction of the Internet
- a. Do we have a choice?
- b. Role of the "Treasure of the Internet"
- Policies of the Treasures of the Internet
- * Free Speech and Censorship
- * Privacy
- * Parental Supervision
- * Volunteer Work
- * Copyright
- Time is Gold! (N.B. Never written)
- How you can help develop this page
Become a:- * Page Contributor or Site Developer
- * Member of the Education Brigade
- * Page Artist or Photographer
- * Adviser/Expert Consultant
- * Computer Expert
- * Community Leader
- * Ombudsman
- * Sponsor
- Disclaimer, Disclosure and Warning
- * Disclaimer
- * Disclosure
- * Warning