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1994-04-18
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From: mac18@cus.cam.ac.uk (Sparky)
Date: Fri, 15 Apr 1994 17:56:09 -0500
To: Multiple recipients of list <nexus-gaia@indial1.io.com>
Subject: I couldnt wait
I couldn't wait, my fingers were just itching to write it, heres
what I said, maybe a bit pompous but what the hell...
Hi,
Firstly let me congratulate you on your program, it has great
potential, a lot of things could be improved but I'm sure you're getting
enough mail about that from all the threads on USENET. Not bad for the first
program on the Internet.
Now to the meat of my letter, I ask that you read it through to
the end before hitting that D key and give it fair thought...
I am currently in my last year at University and have been planning,
for some time, to start my own business in October. What I intend to do
is open the first 'Electronic Cafe' in the UK, a place where people can
get access to the net without the technical hassles usually encountered.
More than this the E-cafe will be an interface between two
cultures, that of the real world and the net.world, which will, by
integrating the net into peoples everyday lives bring forth a new culture.
The Cafe is about community building, forming links with people at the local
level in an environment which is designed to be smooth and unobtrusive.
During the last few months I have been researching existing
community networks and public access sites, making contacts with people
who have had real experience in this area. Their advice is encouraging.
Already in America the net is becoming integrated into normal life,
terminals are installed in libraries and malls and you can receive your
connection cheaply in most states from a wide range of competing
providers. Simple Cafes already exist in SF where they are linked
together to form a simple network within which people can relate views
and exchange information and many co-ops exist with people sharing the
cost of wiring up their house.
After reading your post to uk.media I felt that the BBC had the
same goals in mind, to bring access to the local community, to everyone. To
give anyone who wants it the chance to be linked into a global network
of over 15 million minds. If your scheme is successful this could do for
the Internet in the UK, what the BBC Micro did for computer awareness
in schools. I believe we share a common interest and hope you agree.
I am already far ahead in the planning stage. The equipment has
been decided upon and I'm am searching for reliable suppliers. I am
in the middle of writing the menu driven interface which will run under
the WWW to link people into their accounts, enabling them to access
Email, USENET, IRC, MUD's, Gopher, WWW etc seamlessly through the
flexibility of the Web browsers. My next major hurdle is to find sponsors
who will support my project, contributing to the initial costs.
If feel we have so much we can give to each other. With your
internet connection service, a cheap reliable connection to the Internet
can be made, and with the record of the BBC for educational and
community issues, the Cafe can become a focal point for the distribution
of this information to the public. Helping local schools with teaching,
local communities with projects, lending valuable IT skills and even
more valuable, a connection to the skills of the millions of others on
the net.
For my part the cafe would be the first high profile move towards
your goals, up and running in October. By using the skill and knowledge
of the net that I have acquired, I can give the scheme a very public face.
Already there are many places on the net interested in such a story and
I am visiting America this summer to do some background research and spread
the meme.
I hope in what I have said above I have given you some enthusiasm
for what I am trying to do. I believe that this is the inevitable next
step our society will take, integrating itself more and more with the
technology for its positive benefits to the culture it fosters and creates.
If you would like more details, the research I have done so far is
summarized in my WWW page at
http://www.cp.tn.tudelft.nl/~battle/mark/ecafe/ecafe.html
It is mostly an assortment of links to relevant information sources,
but I hope it gives you the feel of what I have put into the project.
I look forward to hearing from you soon, keep up the good work.
-Mark Cheverton
From: mac18@cus.cam.ac.uk (Sparky)
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 1994 14:55:44 -0500
To: Multiple recipients of list <nexus-gaia@indial1.io.com>
Subject: Re: BBCNC (fwd)
Well I got a reply, sounds promising....
Julian Ellison said...
[Stuff by me deleted]
> > After reading your post to uk.media I felt that the BBC had the
> >same goals in mind, to bring access to the local community, to everyone. To
> >give anyone who wants it the chance to be linked into a global network
> >of over 15 million minds. If your scheme is successful this could do for
> >the Internet in the UK, what the BBC Micro did for computer awareness
> >in schools. I believe we share a common interest and hope you agree.
>
> I think we do, and hopefully this project will be even more lasting than
> the BBC Micro venture.
>
[...]
> > If feel we have so much we can give to each other. With your
> >internet connection service, a cheap reliable connection to the Internet
> >can be made, and with the record of the BBC for educational and
> >community issues, the Cafe can become a focal point for the distribution
> >of this information to the public. Helping local schools with teaching,
> >local communities with projects, lending valuable IT skills and even
> >more valuable, a connection to the skills of the millions of others on
> >the net.
>
> There are lots of good ideas here, and I would like to explore them some
> more. I am currently in the process of trying to devise a scheme whereby
> the compilation of WWW pages can be distributed between various people.
> Once we get the material flowing out of the BBC we will need some kind of
> proceedure.
>
[...]
> > I look forward to hearing from you soon, keep up the good work.
>
> Thank you very much. Please chase me if you don't get any more answers from
> me soon.
>
> Best wishes,
>
>
> Julian Ellison
>
> info@bbcnc.org.uk
> BBCNC, co-ordinator.
>
--
_ /\/| _ _ / _ Email: mac18@cus.cam.ac.uk IRC: Brandoch
/ |_( /_/ '_/7 SnailMail: 363 Kings College, Cambridge, England
Mark Cheverton \_) Finger: battle@cygnus.cp.tn.tudelft.nl for Battle
"Time is sufficient to those who utilise it" - Leonardo da Vinci