THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512130038
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Book Review
SOURCE: BY EUGENE M. McAVOY
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
THOUGH NO substitute for ``web-surfing'' itself, Dinty Moore's new book, ``The Emperor's Virtual Clothes: The Naked Truth About Internet Culture'' (Algonquin, 219 pp., $17.95), is an entertaining, informative and sometimes philosophical introduction to the possibilities and potholes of the Information Superhighway.
With Henry David Thoreau as his guide, Moore explores the on-ramps, arteries and cul de sacs of the highway, and even peers into the concrete shadows beneath its overpasses. The result is a humorous map of the Internet maze that delivers something new for even the most road-weary Internet traveler.
Moore, a self-proclaimed ``non-techie,'' describes his book - the result of a year-long internment of flickering screens and screeching modems - as a ``common sense reality check.'' It is his attempt to answer the question: ``Is this really useful, and if so, what is it useful for?''
Defying the hyperbole of those who claim the Internet is more significant than ``the discovery of fire'' and the doom promised by ``frightened critics who have never been on-line,'' he accomplishes his goal: a no-nonsense tour of the web. He also provides a lesson in basic ``netiquette'' and an explanation of the various Internet rest stops, including Usenet, E-mail, Telnet, IRC and the World Wide Web. Equally enlightening are his profiles of the ``real'' people on the Net, and thoughtful, though hardly exhaustive, explorations of the more sinister aspects of Net-abuse.
The veteran Net-surfer will likely find Moore's examination of the Internet's use by bureaucrats in the United States and the challenges to its use in developing countries among the most interesting topics in the book. His exploration of the Internet's role in terrorism, child abuse and a host of other crimes is also thought-provoking and well reasoned. But his best and most interesting writing lies in his concerned and considerate discussion of Internet ``communities'' and the people who inhabit them.
The uninitiated or curious, however, will probably find Moore's uproarious and sarcastic peep at cybersex and his somewhat more sensitive look at on-line relationships most satisfying.
Not surprising, however, Moore finds the Internet less promising than its proponents and less destructive than its critics would argue. ``Instead of vastly altering our world,'' he writes, ``what I found was that the Internet and all its clever bells and whistles are rapidly being assimilated into our world.''
Simply stated, Moore believes that the Internet - as useful and entertaining as it may be - will ultimately have little effect on history. ``Wherever the human race is headed,'' he concludes, ``and I'm not sure where that is - the Net may get us there faster, but we are still headed the same way.'' T HOUGH NO substitute for ``web-surfing'' itself, Dinty Moore's new book, ``The Emperor's Virtual Clothes: The Naked Truth About Internet Culture'' (Algonquin, 219 pp., $17.95), is an entertaining, informative and sometimes philosophical introduction to the possibilities and potholes of the information superhighway.
With Henry David Thoreau as his guide, Moore explores the on-ramps, arteries and cul de sacs of the highway, and even peers into the concrete shadows beneath its overpasses. The result is a humorous map of the Internet maze that delivers something new for even the most road-weary Internet traveler.
Moore, a self-proclaimed ``non-techie,'' describes his book - the result of a yearlong internment of flickering screens and screeching modems - as a ``common sense reality check.'' It is his attempt to answer the question: ``Is this really useful, and if so, what is it useful for?''
Defying the hyperbole of those who claim the Internet is more significant than ``the discovery of fire'' and the doom promised by ``frightened critics who have never been on-line,'' he accomplishes his goal: a no-nonsense tour of the web. He also provides a lesson in basic ``netiquette'' and an explanation of the various Internet rest stops, including Usenet, e-mail, Telnet, IRC and the World Wide Web. Equally enlightening are his profiles of the ``real'' people on the Net and thoughtful, though hardly exhaustive, explorations of the more sinister aspects of Net abuse.
The veteran Net surfer will likely find Moore's examination of the Internet's use by bureaucrats in the United States and the challenges to its use in developing countries among the most interesting topics in the book. His exploration of the Internet's role in terrorism, child abuse and a host of other crimes is also thought-provoking and well reasoned. But his best and most interesting writing lies in his concerned and considerate discussion of Internet ``communities'' and the people who inhabit them.
The uninitiated or curious, however, will probably find Moore's uproarious and sarcastic peep at cybersex and his somewhat more sensitive look at on-line relationships most satisfying.
Not surprising, however, Moore finds the Internet less promising than its proponents and less destructive than its critics would argue. ``Instead of vastly altering our world,'' he writes, ``what I found was that the Internet and all its clever bells and whistles are rapidly being assimilated into our world.''
Simply stated, Moore believes that the Internet - as useful and entertaining as it may be - will ultimately have little effect on history. ``Wherever the human race is headed,'' he concludes, ``and I'm not sure where that is - the Net may get us there faster, but we are still headed the same way.'' MEMO: Eugene M. McAvoy is a writer who lives in Norfolk.Eugene M. McAvoy is a
writer who lives in Norfolk.
by CNB