Slashdot Mirror
The Internet Shifts East
Logic Bomb writes: "The San Francisco Chronicle has an article discussing the World Intellectual Property Organization's prediction that in less than 10 years, Chinese will be the most widely-used language on the web. Assuming the Internet becomes a truly global entity, this is an obvious (and mathematically correct) conclusion. On the other hand, the implementation of the Internet in places without certain civil liberties provides an interesting challenge to typical Western (idealist) notions about what the Internet does for society. Would you even consider the average wealthy Chinese citizen with online access truly 'on the Internet'? And how is the Internet supposed to draw people together when the same old language barrier still exists?"
Usually when we refer to east and west, imagine the world being cut vertically at the international date line (Between Hawaii and Japan, dead center in the pacific ocean, where if the date in California is a Friday, west of the date line would be Saturday) and folded out. You will see the Americas at the left, and Europe in the middle, with the Orient at the right. That, my friends, is where "east and west" comes from.
"Black holes are where God divided by zero." - Steve Wright
The earth is elliptical. Either direction you go in you will reach China. Just pick a direction and keep going!
Plastics and translation software, my boy, Plastics and translation software. These technologies are going places I tell you.
I think the karma police are after me