The Internet is one of the most profound inventions since Gutenberg's printing press. In a flash, it has provided millions of people with instant access to a near infinite amount of information, much of it free. But the Internet is also a frustrating and overwhelming place. Ideally, it should provide knowledge, not information. Knowledge gives people the ability to make informed decisions about issues that are most important to them.
Information is raw and unfiltered.
It frequently complicates people's lives, pulling them away from what they enjoy most and leaving them unsure how to solve life's most pressing problems. These ideas were whirling through my mind in the spring of 1999 as I headed off to lunch with the directors of my mutual fund company, O'Shaughnessy Funds. My board members are a wonderful group of people who have been extremely successful in their careers. I have always had a great deal of respect for each of them. I thought that this lunch was going to be just one of our regular get-togethers.