TNA-GOLD 1/TNA-GOLD - Volume 1.iso/24hours/stefanp.txt

Text File | 1996-03-11 | 26KB | 416 lines

     [Junior Summit Participants]

                                Stefan Plantikow

      [Junior Summit Participant:Stefan Plantikow]
                                                   Country: Germany

     Age: 17

     Sex: Male

     School: Werner-von-Siemens Gymnasuim Magdeburg

     Title of Thesis: A Chance For Peace

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     Summary: Many problems in the fields of economy as well as the society
     are caused by the intolerance and ignorance of people lacking in
     communications, and create the emotional distress which eventually
     leads them to war. GIS is the best recommended solution, in the areas
     of speeding up the processes of communication, therefore many matters
     can be avoided.

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     Our planet is a beautiful world, a marvelous place to live in. But
     this world is full of many different problems, which are often
     relating to each other in a vicious circle.

     Althought here could be enough food and clothes for everyone, a lot of
     people are very poor. Many people do not have enough food. They often
     don't know where to sleep. There is too much unemployment in this
     world. Families can't pay for medical services. Children can't go to
     school. They are driven into drugs and crime.

     This earth owns lots of resources, but they are limited. I think, that
     people should care much more about their living space, but they don't.
     In fact, there are many ecological problems. A lot of people are
     willing to end this, but especially poor countries lack the money
     needed for the effective protection of environmental resources.

     Watching the news on TV, I often think we still haven't learned to
     accept other's opinions in a non-agressive way. We aren't able to
     avoid wars. People are fighting each others only because they belong
     to different groups. In eastern Europe, after the fall of the Wall,
     people start to remember on problems, that had been forgotten a long
     time ago and are at war from one day to the other. In western European
     countries, extremistic and terroristic groups are getting more and
     more members. Around the world, dictators take over democratic
     governments. But one does not have to look at things from the far,
     also inside countries, there often is minority discrimination.

     If I would be the leader of the Global Society my vision would be,
     that all this problems had to be removed. But I want to concentrate on
     social and political topics, following below.

     As mentionted above, there are still lots of agressive conflicts in
     the world. But before solving this, there has to be found out, what
     causes people to do this. There are several reasons for that, but
     however, in my opinion, in most cases people are just intolerant. And
     this can be caused by several things:

     Disinformation. Meaning people can't or don't want to get the correct
     information. They judge others without having the facts. They have
     prejudices about minorites witthout knowing them personally. They
     relate people's value with outlook or behavior. And worst of all, they
     take one member of a group for all the others. E.g. A white pupil
     calls an Arabian boy, a terrorist, just because he saw on TV, that
     there are terrorists in Lybia.

     Fanatic religion/ideology. In some cases people aren't just
     disinformed. Then someone prevents them from being taught on a broad
     base. They are manipulated to help a leader in fullfilling his targets
     in this way. This is one of the worst cases, because people are being
     used so badly. Usually the leader uses their wishes and promises the
     solution to their problems, if they will obey him. If they are taught
     in the rules of the group from childhood on, they often even don't
     know alternatives of acting and are driven to do things which they
     wouldn't do normally under other circumstances. Examples for this are
     terroristic moslem fundamentalistics or political extremistic groups.

     Frustration. But not all learn ideologies from childhood on. In fact,
     many people join such groups later by free will. Also there are lots
     of intolerant persons which aren't members of any group at all.
     Frustrated about something, they often make minorities responsible for
     problems they can't solve. Reasons for that can be very different.
     Unemployment, unsatisfaction with political issues and jealousity can
     make people intolerant. If they are feeling very lonely, this can
     increase the which to enter a group, where they can find
     acknowledgement. That means intolerance plays a key role in solving
     social problems. But especially the frustration of people is very much
     related to other problems, like issues of economy and ecology. Of
     cause, reducing intolerance is not the medicine to everything, but it
     could decrease the potential of a lot of problems and help making the
     world a bit more friendly. So increasing tolerance is the task to do.

     For accomplishing this goal, the different forms and causes of
     intolerance have to be removed. I would suggest the following three
     things to be done.

     Reduction of control over the free will through the enhancement of
     information supply. Providing everyone with better information is one
     of the most important tasks, for it would make people less ignorant.
     If poor kids would be educated better, that could help them in finding
     their way in the world. it would enable people to live more
     independent from social and historical customs. With more information,
     they could know many different lifestyles. And better informed persons
     are less easy to control. This would turn out to make some of them
     more tolerant, because now they couldn't look away any more from the
     facts of minority discrimination. This benefit of information supply
     enhancement, could be supported well, through more international
     sanctions against agressive countries. It could also help, if the
     people would more openly disencourage groups which are trying to to
     manipulate people badly.

     Reduction of frustrating situations. This topic contains many
     different tasks. One would be the creation of new jobs. This would
     provide people with more money and give them the possibility to comply
     themselves wishes more often. Another thing could be the solution of
     ecological issues, like pollution. More investments should be done in
     science, because its results are most likely to become long-term
     benefits for all. More cultural activities would allow people to
     experience new things more often, which could make them feel happier.

     More social activities. This could be a very important point. As
     studies show, in industrial countries, there is a big trend away from
     families towards lonely living singles. We seem to have forgotten that
     the human being is dependent on the existance of others. We seem to
     have forgotten, that we need each other. Singles often feel very
     unhappy and are wondering what the reason for that might be, therefore
     it should be prevented from spreading. The causes for that are
     different, but one of the reasons is the unpersonality of the
     community. Another could be the disinteress in other people's life.

     Perhaps some of these tasks could make the future look more brightly
     and in this way reduce the number of people which have a no-future
     opinion a little.

     Until now, there have been mentioned a lot of different tasks, which
     have to be done in my opinion. But at this point someone might ask: So
     far, so good. But how shall we do it? I'm Sorry, but the answer to
     that question is depressing: It is not possible. We can't do this
     under the current conditions. As far as I see, there are different
     reasons for that.

     First, there is no universal information service available yet,
     meaning the necessity for better information supply can't be solved.
     Another reason is, that many countries are heading for the same
     targets while struggling with each other. Additional, right now, there
     is no receipt to remove the main cause of frustration - unemployment.
     And besides that, many countries lack the needed money for the tasks
     that had to be accomplished. So the future seems to look dark, but I
     think there is hope.

     After my thesis, the chance of creating new jobs and getting the money
     to accomplish the tasks needed for the reduction of intolerance, lies
     in future technologies. And the technology that will arrive most
     recently, is the world-wide-communication industry, which will create
     the Global Information Structure, the GIS.

     Setting up the global network, is not like any other development of
     modern science for it goes beyond the earning of money. Through the
     avalability of a huge amount of fast changing information it could
     speed up the development of other future technologies, like
     biotechnology, enormously which in exchange could help in removing
     economical and ecological problems. In this there lies the chance of
     breaking through the vicious circle of problems related to each other,
     because creating the GIS, will reduce intolerance on the one side
     while economical, and perhaps ecological issues will be solved on the
     other. And with this, the vicious circle can be used to speed up the
     whole process by itself.

     But how could that be done in detail by the coming of the global
     online community, and what kind of global information structure will
     be needed? Surely, for reducing intolerance better ways of
     communication will be needed. But this will also mean having many side
     effects, which will carry us to a future which can't be foreseen by
     now. But one thing's for sure: The necessity to get and to have the
     latest information will cause a major impact on the whole earth's
     culture. But there is still a long way to go. The Internet offers a
     lot of possibilities today, but for tomorrow's needs this planet
     requires a huge global network. Millions of computers connected with
     each other in many different ways. A net of unimaginable complexity
     for delivering information beyond the capacity off all libraries ever
     built.

     This GIS should provide communication services for everyone all over
     the world. No matter if she/he's living in LA, Berlin, Sydney or
     Zaire. It will have to provide access for the rich countries, as well
     as for the poor. Covering that, will be one of the most dangerous and
     difficult tasks in creating the information society. Because in
     future, not having access to the GIS will mean being born dead. This
     could mean the negation of the negation, because one of the solutions
     to intolerance might here create frustration from being excluded, a
     motive for ignorance instead. Therefore no GIS will be compete, when
     half of this world's cultures will not be able to gain access to it.
     So avoiding the creation of society of a communication elite and a
     group of non-global-communicating people in third world countries
     should be a primary target.

     But providing access everywhere on the world, can't be all. Another
     main social requirement could be increasing the acceptance of online
     mediums. It's not enough to make the GIS available all over the
     planet. The task is done correctly only then, when people get
     connected to and use the GIS. So educational work has to be done, yet.
     But not in third world countries only, also in industrial nations
     people will have to learn using the GIS. In my own family, I have
     experienced that problem as well. Especially order generations have to
     be taught to use that new medium. Of cause, the GIS will have
     technical needs beyond those of today. For acting in real time, it
     will have to be fast and synchron. This will help focussing on what
     has to be done instead of waiting for the next data package to be
     transmitted. With the exponential increase of multimedia hard-and
     software available to average PC users, the need for broadband
     transmission will grow. So the GIS will have to be advanced for these
     greater requirements. It will have to transfer several full screen
     video channels for every user at once.

     The necessity of rather sending videos in some 3-dimensional format
     than in classical TV-2D will appear. Maybe possibilities to record
     emotions, sensoric, smell and taste senses beside the typical audio
     and video will be found. If so, the GIS will have to transmit this
     data, too. But how will it be possible to coordinate the construction
     of this and should it be coordinated at all? Someone will have to care
     about these FFDI cables, becoming the standard for communication by
     now. These requirements will still need some time till they are
     established, but I'm sure that they will be realized. And with this
     process, there might come the reduction of intolerance. in the
     following section, I want to give examples on how the new information
     structure could be used to solve its causes:

     Enhancement of information supply. Meaning people could use the GIS to
     inform themselves very broadly. They could talk to people of different
     nationalties and with different oppinions. They could choose there
     lifestyle out of an enormous mass. They would be used to speak with
     minorities. They often would get to know other people and start to
     like them, before they would realize, that these people belong to
     groups the normally discriminate. This is unlikely to happen under
     normal conditions. If the GIS will be established, it could be that
     the kids of a new generation won't be able to think in terms of
     minorities anymore.

     While surfing on the net, I have experienced that myself. There is
     just no racism out there in most places. And when it occurs, the
     community normally regulates that by itself. No one who has penpals
     around the world can discriminate blacks because of their skin color.
     No one.

     Reduction of unemployment through forcing of the development of future
     technologies. The GIS will surely create a lot of jobs. Publishers,
     server administrators, their support staff and their conveyors. But
     not everybody will find a job in this emerging business. So how can we
     reduce unemployment?

     The tricky spot is, that with people being informed better than today,
     the information flow is much faster. Sure, the Internet is used by
     scientists nowadays. But with all people being online, talents could
     be found faster and their would be more ideas. This should speed up
     the development in science a lot. Of course, we can't know the results
     of that by now. But it will carry us somewhere. And this somewhere
     just might contain the jobs and possibilities a world on the verge of
     collapse through over-population, pollution and unemployment in the
     year 2010 might need.

     Removal of other causes to frustration by the creation of a new
     information age community could reduce intolerance a lot. The
     decreasing of unemployment should raise the average income, which
     would in exchange give the people more money to spend on freetime
     activities. They could be prevented form feeling lonely by memberships
     in different clubs. Also the GIS will lead to the creation of a new
     online community culture based on many different fast changing
     sub-cultures. This will set up a whole new age in history. As with
     science, the development, exchange and creation of arts could be
     speeded up by the GIS much more, too. And the feedback to the artist
     will be much more frequent. This effect even can be seen on the
     Internet today.

     There are many areas dedicated to the publshing of art. I've been
     setting up some web-pages for our school myself. In real life,
     normally the people get a brochure and perhaps some of them write back
     or phone us. But with the web-pages people just have to hit a feedback
     buttton and drop a few lines. In this example one can see another
     advantage of the GIS, the reduction of time needed to accomplish
     tasks. And time is one of the most valuable resources of the future.
     This advantage could in exchange give the people more freetime, which
     could be used for hobby activities and decrease frustration and
     intolerance again.

     But in this benefits of the Global information Structure are a lot of
     dangers through misuse, too. So the issue of law and control on the
     net, which surely is a difficult topic, will have to be evaluated. In
     today's Internet communities most cases of misuse and bad behavior is
     regulated by all, because people feel responsible for their Net. If
     annoying letters are written to frighten someone, the author will
     usually be removed from the Net. But this mechanism seems not to work
     in all cases.

     For example, it could be possible, that people can write such annoying
     letters through anonymous telnet-accounts. Another problem is, that
     there are web-pages with x-rated of terroristic content, which can be
     accessed by everyone. The arguments against a Internet controling
     instance say for this case, that if one doesn't like, he does not have
     to go on these pages. But what about kids stumbling in such areas by
     accident?

     A last issue, which I'd like to discuss, is the topic of copyright
     laws on the Net. If that problem won't be regulated, the upspeeding of
     arts and science could be hindered heavyly. So the hot question is,
     how the mechanisms of a self-regulating community should be traded for
     a regulating instance?

     In my opinion, that difficult task should be carried out, as
     following: The Global information Structure, as the information age,
     is a global trend. Both will help creaing the global village.
     Therefore it can't be of any use, if every country will regulate the
     law on the net by itself. Such an enormous content censoring task on
     every borders can't be done with our technical abbilities. So for
     regulating global issues we need a global instance. An United
     communicating Nations Organisation (UCNO). I would suggest that every
     nation has equal rights in this institution, depending on the number
     of its residents, which take use of the GIS. This organisation should
     force its members to carry out the obeying of UCNO-orders. With that,
     all of the above mentioned topics could be regulated. For example:

     Frightening/annoying letters. Members agree to forbid access to the
     GIS to anyone who writes such letters to any other user of the Net.
     Second, anonymous sendmail service will be forbidden for private
     servers. Instead a local instance could carry this out. Every letter,
     which contains annoying content will just not be sended and the author
     will be informed. But the anonymity should be carried out in any case
     and no one should be charged.

     Terroristic X-rated content. In these issues are lieing many dangers.
     Because herein the benefits of more information could be negatized
     into more disinformation. So the UCNO should form an instance which
     forces servers to check it's users age before providing access to such
     content. Absolutely unappropriate content should be removed if it's
     located physically in a member country. Copyright law. This issue
     should be handled according to the existing international treaties
     existing for the real world. Copyright for any content should be
     granted to everybody toll-free if he just sent in his work, which
     aren't allowed to contain unqouted art of others.

     Capacity extension. Nowadays international Internet lines are on the
     limit of their capacity. So there is a need in extending them. The
     required money could be got easily through the UCNO by charging member
     countries on a procentual base according to their voting rights.

     Al.The technology nowadays doesn't provide artficial intelligence of
     any dangerous kind. But with the upspeeding of science, this, maybe,
     will change. If that happens, the UCNO could be an already existing
     net-watching instance, which could control such artificial persons.

     Of course, such an organisation is assigned to fail through misuse and
     too much control. So it should regulate the specified topics only in
     cases where it is really necessary. All other typical faults still
     should be governed by the information society. In case of misue, there
     should be the option of a voting of users for special topics, possible
     for both global and local issues.

     You, the reader have by now nearly reached the end of this essay. I
     think at this point,I should sum up all the said things. So again the
     question is, how will be Global Information Structure and it's
     community help to solve the problems of today's world? We are facing
     many difficulties today. There are problems in economy and ecology as
     well as in society. There is sill minority discrimination and war in
     this world. After my thesis, the main reason to the problem's of
     society is intolerance. So reducing intolerance could help in solving
     these problems. But to do so, it's causes have to be removed, which
     are disinformation, fanatic religion/ideology and frustration. This
     could be dane by the reduction of control over the free will through
     better information supply, the removal of causes to frustration,
     especially unemployment, and more social activities.

     But these tasks cannot be accomplished under the current conditions.
     The reasons for that are different. The main problems are that there
     is no world-wide information service availible to everyone, there is
     too much struggle between the counties instead of heading together for
     the same targets and there is no current solution for reduction of
     unemployment--a main cause to frustration. Also many countries lack
     the money to accomplish tasks which would increase social activities
     or reduce ecological problems.

     But there is a solution to this, the construction of the Global
     information structure. This could be an easy way to enhacement of
     information supply, the reduction of unemployment by forcing of the
     development of future technologies and the removal of other causes to
     frustration by the creation of a new information age community. This
     holds the possibility to inverse the vicious circle of problems
     related to each other. But before this is likely to happen, a lot of
     technical, social and political requirements have to be solved. Also,
     issues of law on the net have to be evaluated. I would suggests for
     this task an United Communicating Nations Organsiation, which could
     care about terroristic/x-rated content, frightening/annoying e-mails,
     copyright law, capacity extension of the net and perhaps furthermore
     handle problems with artifical inteligence.

     Our world is on the step into a new millenium. The next century bears
     many problem's, as it is unlikely that we are able to solve therm
     today. But it bears also a chance for mankind, a chance for peace.
     With the coming of the Global Information Structure we have found a
     tool which will speed up all processes of communication. Of course,
     the new information age will not be only a tool we can use, it will in
     case also influence us very broadly. The effects of this cannot be
     foreseen by now, they can only be guessed slightly. But one's for
     sure-the stream of information flow will carry us somewhere. And this
     somewhere could contain a new way of thinking and living. Surely, this
     will bring many risks and dangers. But we may find a street out of
     stagnation, into something new, into an undiscovered country. What did
     Hamlet say so truely? "The undiscovered country, from whose bourn no
     traveller returns--puzzles the will, and makes us rather gear those
     ills we have than fly to others that we know not of" In this sense,
     there is much work to do, let's face it!

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