There was an AIDS cybermemorial, a blind woman seeing the world through the Net, online Buddhist monks, and an electronic Talmudic study group. We could drop in on cybergraffiti artists in Singapore and or wired home schools in Seattle. During those 24 hours online researchers studied the rainforests, children simulated space missions, and students monitored an archeological dig via the Internet. People with disabilities linked to medical care. Doctors carried out a virtual surgery, and a father shared a touching account of his son's battle with bone marrow cancer.
Technology is children, parents, and grandparents.
Technology, for all its glimmer, is about people connecting with other people. People seeking a better life, with better jobs, greater opportunity, and a brighter future. I'm reminded of a story someone told me recently. A homeowner in New Jersey was having a new thermostat installed for a central air conditioning unit. The installer asked if the homeowner wanted an analog or a digital thermostat.