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Hong Kong is Civilized

Free wifi in the airport, need I say more? Ok, what is stifling about airports and modern travel is the lack of control. Stand in line. Wait. Sit on the plane. Fasten your seatbelt. Put away your tray table. Close the windowshade. What is web-surfing? Here's a blank location bar - now go, wherever you will. As in the Matrix, when your body is confined, the mind wishes to roam. Many a government could ease the suffering of its citizens by offering them mental freedom when it imposes physical confinement. The web is powerful and American in its origins in that it exports the one classic American virtue - freedom.

Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 at 04:49AM by Registered CommenterStartupBoy in | Comments4 Comments

Reader Comments (4)

The Web was invented by an Englishman, Tim Berners-Lee, not an American.
January 14, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterAnonymous
Ah, fair point. There goes American ego-centrism again. However, a lot of the early Internet infrastructure and ideas (packet routing, BBN, DNS, sendmail) were laid down in the U.S.
January 14, 2006 | Registered CommenterStartupBoy
Free wi-fi must be new in Hong Kong airport. Wasn't there as late as 05' summer.
March 11, 2006 | Unregistered Commenterjunxter
"The web is powerful and American in its origins in that it exports the one classic American virtue - freedom."

This may need a more nuanced restatement given the recent google/yahoo/chinese communist party issues.
April 26, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterAnonymous

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