CM Magazine: From the editor

________________ CM . . . . Volume I Number V . . . . July 14, 1995

From the editor

It's been very hot in Winnipeg this week.* On the one hand, that makes the people running an electronic publication like CM nervous because we worry about the computers overheating until sparks fly out of the consoles. On the other hand, we don't have to worry about the sweat dripping from our brows staining the pages before we send them off to the printer.

The Internet in general has that mixed feeling: boon to humanity, or just a colossal waste of time? I could go on, but instead this week we're starting a three-part series on the subject by someone who's actually thought about it: Professor Luciano Floridi's "The Internet & the Future of Organized Knowledge." It's a big subject, and Floridi has considered it more clearly than anyone else I've read.

If you're new to the 'net (and who isn't?), give it a read. No one can predict the future, but Floridi's thoughts on "The Human Encyclopedia," a project that all of us -- teachers, librarians, writers, and editors -- are part of, shine a bit of light on the road we're speeding along.

CM is printing Professor Floridi's article because we're trying to be more than be a source for reviews; we also want to be a resource for readers who are new to this medium. That's why our welcome page has a small guide to other Internet sites you might find friendly or useful. If you have suggestions for other resources we could link our readers with, or other kinds of help you'd like to see in CM, please let us know.

-- Duncan Thornton
editor@mbnet.mb.ca

* Winnipeg also gets very cold in the winter.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - JULY 14, 1995.