Introduction<br > : to the Internet<br > vM<br > You re about to embark on an exciting experience as you become one<br > of the millions of citizens of the Internet. Once you ve accustomed<br > yourself to this wonderful new world， you ll be amazed by how much<br > you can discover， learn， and accomplish as you explore the Internet s<br > dynamic resources.<br > ~Why Use the Internet?<br > In Understanding Media， Marshall McLuhan foresaw the existence of<br > the Internet when he described electronic media as an extension of our<br > central nervous system. On the other hand， today s students introduced<br > to the Internet for the first time describe it as "cool."<br > No matter which description you favor， you are immersed in a period<br > that is transforming the way we live by transforming the nature of the<br > information we live by. As recently as 1980， intelligence was marked by<br > "knowing things." If you were born in that year， by the time you were<br > old enough to cross the street by yourself， that definition had changed<br > radically. Today， in a revolution that makes McLuhan s vision tangible，<br > events， facts， rumors， and gossip are distributed instantly to all parts of<br > the global body. The effects are equivalent to a shot of electronic adrena-<br > line. No longer the domain of the privileged few， information is shared<br > by all the inhabitants of McLuhan s global village. Meanwhile， the con-<br > cept of information as intelligence feels as archaic as a television remote<br > control with a wire on it (ask your parents about that).<br >