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Text File | 1995-04-12 | 6KB | 110 lines

MAP01: WELCOME

                    "What hath God wrought?"
                                -- Samuel F.B. Morse
                                   The first telegraph message
                                   ever sent (1844)


WELCOME TO ROADMAP!! According to a recent poll by Louis Harris and
Associates, thirty-four percent of the adults in America have recently
seen, heard, or read something about the mysterious "Information
Superhighway." Sixty percent even said that they thought that the
Information Superhighway is a really neat idea, even though they
have absolutely no idea what it is (1).

That's where this workshop comes in. Over the next few weeks I am
going to show you around the Internet, give you some basic commands
that will help you use the tools of the Internet more effectively,
point you in the direction of people who can help you if you
ever get lost, and even give you a glimpse of what the coming
Information Superhighway will actually look like.

How am I going to do all of this? Well, each one of these daily lessons
will give you a glimpse at one small part of the Internet. We'll talk
about particular tools and sites, showing you some traps to avoid, and
even showing you some basic commands that will help you use the tools
to your own advantage. In the end, I hope that you will gain a better
understanding of the individual parts and pieces that, when put together,
make up the Internet.

While my goals are lofty, I also have to be realistic. There are so
many computer systems out there running so many different software
packages, each with their own unique commands, that there is absolutely
NO way that I will be able to teach you everything you need to know about
the Internet in a month. Instead, I will teach you the basic commands
that are common on most systems, and I point you in the direction of
someone who can help you with your questions about the system that you
are using.

Count on the fact that the one system that I will fail to give
commands for will be yours. Remember a little while back when I asked
you to find the name and telephone number of someone at your local
Internet service provider who can answer your questions? If I leave
anything out in a lesson, if you have ANY questions, or if you are
frustrated or confused, call this person!!! I'm going to show you
the basics, but your contact at your local Internet service provider
will be there to give you the specifics for your system and to answer
most of the questions that you may have.

Now I am perfectly aware that some of you will still want to post your
questions or comments directly to me or to the list. For God's
sake, resist this urge!! With over 55,000 people enrolled in this
workshop (yes, there are 55,000 of you subscribed to THREE different
lists), there is absolutely *NO WAY* I will be able to respond to
your letter. If everyone on this list wrote to me, there is a rather
good chance that the incoming mail volume would crash the mainframe
computer for the entire University of Alabama. I don't want this to
happen. Besides, the people at your local Internet service
provider are better equipped to answer your questions about your
system than I am, and they will even be able to provide you with
some individual attention (something, because of this workshop's
size, I cannot do).

Before I send you on you way this lovely Thursday, there is a rather
humorous story that I want to pass on to you -- a story which actually
has (some) relevance to this workshop. Most of you know that the
the University of Alabama is quite famous for our Crimson Tide
football team (which has won 12 national championships), and for
our undergraduate business school (which is ranked in the top 5%
in the nation).

You may not know that the University of Alabama is also famous for
our squirrels (yes, I said "squirrels"). It seems that the squirrels
living in the trees on the campus of the University of Alabama have
developed quite a taste for power lines ... especially for the power
lines leading into the University's mainframe computer center.
(For those who are not electrically inclined, let me just add that
energetic squirrels and power lines do not mix well).

Why do I tell you this? Well, since our computer has been "squirreled"
twice, I just wanted you to be aware that there may be a slim chance
that the mainframe may go down during the workshop. If this happens,
please DO NOT PANIC, and please do not write me! Instead, be patient,
and try to keep from laughing yourself silly as you picture a char-
broiled squirrel shooting across the University of Alabama campus at
Mach two.

In short, if a particular Roadmap lesson is late, enjoy a good laugh
(Seriously, if the computer does go down you won't lose any lessons
... you may get the lessons a little later than usual, but the lessons
will be sent to you as soon as the mainframe comes back on line).

Tomorrow, we'll start the lessons, and I'll give you your first
homework assignment (gasp!). Thank you for enrolling in the Roadmap
workshop. I hope you will have as much fun traveling the Internet
as I am having teaching it to you.


Sources:

(1) St. Petersburg Times 5/16/94 Business p.10 (from Edupage 05.17.94)


   PATRICK DOUGLAS CRISPEN    THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS LETTER DO NOT
    [e-mail]      NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE
  THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA      UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA - TUSCALOOSA

      ROADMAP: COPYRIGHT PATRICK CRISPEN 1994. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.