Surfing the net

What is more impressive than the pyramids, more beautiful than Michelangelo’s David and more important to mankind than the wondrous inventions of the Industrial Revolution? To the converted, there can be only one answer: the Internet. It is entering every area of our life – college, work and home. The electronic superhighway provides an entry to libraries, research institutions, databases, art galleries, census bureaus, etc. For those of us interested in intercultural communications Cyberspace is a universal community, with instant access not only to information to anywhere, but also to friend old and new around the globe.

The Internet is an amorphous global network of thousands of linked computers that pass information back and forth. While the Internet has no government, no owners, no time, no place, no country, it definitely has a culture, which frequently approaches anarchy; and it has a language, which is more or less English. Like all new worlds, Cyberspace has its own lingo, for example: online, modem, free net, web page, freeware, browser. There are words to describe people who roam the net: netters, internet surfers, spiders, geeks…

Large-scale use of computer-to-computer transfer of information was implemented by the US military in the late 60s – part of the superpower competition of the cold war and the arms race. The US military created an electronic network (Arpanet) to use computers for handling the transfer of large amounts of data over long distances at incredible speed. Computer-to-computer virtual connections, using satellites have distinct advantages over telephone or radio communications in the event of a nuclear attack. Mathematicians and scientists have been linked and electronically exchanging information over the Internet since the mid-70s. Now the Internet is being expanded and improved so that every home, every school, every institution can be linked to share data, information, music, video and other resources. So, if you have a computer or a computer terminal, some kind of connection (probably, modem and telephone line) to the Internet, and some kind of Internet service provider, you can participate in electronic communication and become a citizen of the global village.

☻Ex.28. Can you do a better translation?

a) 10 PROGRAMMERS

Ten young programmers began to work online,

One didn’t pay for Internet, and then there were nine.

Nine young programmers used copies that they made,

But one was caught by FBI, and then there were eight.

Eight young programmers discussed about heaven,

One said: “It’s Windows 95!”, and then there were seven.

Seven young programmers found bugs they want to fix,

But one was fixed by the bug, and then there were six.

Six young programmers were testing the hard drive,

One got the string “Format complete”, and then there were five.

Five young programmers were running the Front Door,

The BBS of one was hacked, and then there were four.

Four young programmers worked using only C,

One said some good about Pascal, and then there were three.

Three young programmers didn’t know what to do,

One tried to call the on-line help, and then there were two.

Two young programmers were testing what they’ve done,

One got a virus in his brain, and then there was one.

One young programmer was as mighty as a hero,

But tried to speak with user, and then there was zero.

Boss cried: “Oh, where is the program we must have?!”

And fired one programmer, and then there were FF.