"In some ways, the new technology
has made life easier. We can punch one button instead of seven
or 11 to call the kids. We can write readable, correctly spelled
letters on a personal computer…On the other hand, the inability
of many people to program their VCRs has become a symbol of the
vast gap between the buyers of these marvelous new machines and
the engineers who made programming them cumbersome and the directions
a nightmare."
"I look at the Internet
as an important new tool in the hands of people who are seeking
to win greater public understanding of their own interests or
causes. The graphical nature of the World Wide Web, the nearly
infinite capacity and the coming multimedia capabilities of adding
sound, animation and--someday--even video to the message make
the Internet an exciting new medium in which to work.
"I would argue, however, that much of the work going on right
now in development of Web sites is adding to a giant junk pile
in cyberspace that, if we're not careful, will frustrate and discourage
exactly those people we're trying to reach. I'm not suggesting
the Web will go the way of CB radio, but I am saying that building
Web sites badly can have effects equal and opposite to
those intended by the builders."
"Personal computing is for everyone
and ought to be easier and more reliable for all of us. I therefore
welcome Microsoft's introduction of a program that sets out to
make everyday tasks manageable, cutting through the technical
jargon and confusing routines that frighten many people away from
machines that might make their lives easier.
"Unfortunately, Bob is an utter
simpleton, poorly designed and dreadfully executed."
"Writers as well as editors must cringe in the brave world
of the Internet, where anyone can publish anything without benefit
of editing. The language we use is being butchered Out There by
electronic publishers who think they don't need editors because
they have spell-checking programs. Frequently, they don't even
use those.
"We may one day regret we dispensed with the rule that holds
a second pair of eyes can see mistakes the first pair missed."
On doing expense reports
"If you can load Windows on your computer and keep even a rough record of
the checks you write, you can do expense accounts with this program."
"Plugged In," The Boston
Globe, December 30, 1994
On Getting Onto the Internet
"We keep hearing about all the wonderful resources the Internet
offers for research, education and simple enjoyment. The fact
is, unless you are an experienced professional or have one handy,
the Information Superhighway can be darned hard to get to and
plenty frustrating once you're there. Trying to find what you
want can be like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack--after
the hay has been through the cow."
Speech to New England Society of Online Professionals, May
1995
Will Newspapers Survive?
"The most familiar arguments against newspapers and magazines becoming obsolete are that most
people don't like to read long stories on computer screens, and computers themselves aren't convenient to carry around
the house to comfortable reading places, read on the bus or carry from home to office.
Those arguments are sound enough -- today."
From a Paper submitted to the University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication, January, 1996
On Thomas, the Legislative Reference on the Internet
"If you ask Thomas to provide any legislation
dealing with 'elderly black Americans,' the first two bills he
will report back concern the Black Bear Protection Act, (and)
why do you suppose the Bucket Drowning Prevention Act is listed?
"…Thomas demonstrates that the great challenge
of the Information Age is not merely to gain access to information
but to figure out how to manage it."
"Plugged In," The Boston
Globe, January 27, 1995
On Automap
"A visitor from France asked my advice in taking a scenic
drive from Washington to Lexington, Va., so I sought a route that
would take her down the famed Skyline Drive through the mountains
of western Virginia. You can imagine my dismay when Automap insisted
instead on sending her car hurtling down the Appalachian Trail
at 50 mph."
"Plugged In," The Boston Globe,
April 22, 1994
On the H-P OmniGo 100
"To be successful on a large scale, (a pocket
electronic organizer) must be small enough to fit unobtrusively
in a jacket pocket or purse, share information with a desktop
or laptop computer and be easy enough for nontechnical people
to use without raising the blood pressure more than a point or
two.
"The OmniGo is getting there."
"Plugged In," The Boston
Globe, December
7, 1995
On the Microsoft Network
"CompuServe proved that widespread communication
among personal computers was possible. America Online proved it
could be easy. The Microsoft Network demonstrates an on-line service
can be powerfully confusing."
"Plugged In," The Boston
Globe, August 20, 1995
