>You can produce the content, how will you get it to the masses.

The Internet is not going anywhere and, if anything, it will become more accessible in the home and more people will become comfortable using it. However, rather than use the Internet to buy clothes or shoes, people can learn to sell their own products or promote community activities online.

I work for an organization that has been providing access to video/tv production to the community for 17 years. People learn how to use the camcorder to record their own voice and the organization cablecasts the program so the community can view it. It's not commercial TV but it gives people opportunities to reach other neighborhoods througout the city.

The multimedia center aims to do the same thing via the Internet. Sure, community content may not reach millions but that is not the purpose. People will be able to create and distribute community content via a web site to the people that need or want to view it. Plus, if they learn about promotion they can reach a larger audience.


> the net is not a necessity to do any of the things you described. Having the tools isn't enough.....we've always had tools.

The Internet is a reality. People who have it have more options that the people who don't and this is a fact. The Internet is not like TV or film, it's not owned by Hollywood or a small elite group of owners. Right now, it is a vast network and anyone who wants to have a presence on the Net can have one. The Internet is just a tool but the value of the tool depends on how one uses it and (just like any other tool) it can be misused.

Change, adversity, technology are realities. I see technology as a big mountain and people are either climbers, campers or quitters. Climbers use whatever tools it takes to move upward or forward. They use a variety of tools for different tasks, not just one. They master the tools and achieve their goal. Campers reach a point in the climb and they stop climbing or moving forward. They stay in one place and stagnate. They come up with a million excuses for why they can't climb or learn to use new tools. Quitters are just quitters.

Change is not supposed to be good or bad. It is a benchmark of the society or world we live in. Technology has always been around and it has always been at the center of the "divide" issue. I am empowered because I do not limit myself, I learn new tools, push myself and keep climbing. There are people who are poor and will stay poor because they do not seek to learn new tools to do their jobs. They will lose their jobs if they do not learn how to use technology. Technology is not meant to be a savior to people but people can use it to save themselves.


"Know thyself"

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you". So we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
-- Hebrews 13:5,6

"There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path"
--Morpheus in "The Matrix"

"It's our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"- Dumbledore to Harry Potter "Chamber of Secrets"