Is the world a better place now or worse?

[Fenghuang]

I think most of you are very pessimistic and things will continue to improve in one way or another. There will be setbacks, but I don't see another Dark Ages in the near future, the world is doing pretty well all things considered.

 

Sure, some states are looking to censor and redistribute the bandwidth of the internet, but there's also a pretty strong movement for net neutrality, and it's one that the current US administration seems to be behind.

 

Current antibiotics aren't effective against some bacterial infections due to overuse; but now that we're aware of the problem steps are being taken to limit their use, new drugs are being developed (and already in use) for the resistant strains.

 

We have cured one case of HIV already, and we're on our way to a more applicable cure for everyone. Link

 

And nanotechnology is about to create another scientific golden age all on it's own.

 

 

 

Well, I'm moving to Australia if the web becomes like the internet at my school. ANYTHING that could be considered offensive to ANYBODY is blocked:

 

 

Australia is kind of the leader in internet censorship and ridiculous pricing schemes right now so have fun.

[Tigranes]

The seventeeth century was an awesome time if you were a french aristocrat

 

You'd think so, except you had to crap into the corner of the room while you were at fancy parties and everybody had bowel problems.

 

Well, I'm moving to Australia if the web becomes like the internet at my school.

 

Where the internet will be too slow for you to go anywhere.

[Hiro Protagonist]

Well, I'm moving to Australia if the web becomes like the internet at my school. ANYTHING that could be considered offensive to ANYBODY is blocked:

 

Youtube

All Forums

Every wiki but wikipedia

much of wikipedia

Game Cheat sites

Yahoo Games

Some News Sites

Flickr

And A WHOLE lot more

 

Don't come to Australia. We have more censorship here than nearly any country in the world. Internet is already censored with .com.au sites having to be approved. If you have an 'offensive' .com.au site they can take it away. A lot of Books, Movies and Games are banned. And if the Game isn't banned, then it's modified to the point where it doesn't resemble anything like what the original game is. I think we're the only Western OECD country without a R rating for games.

 

And now the Government wants to introduce an internet filter that is similar to China's internet filter, so you won't be able to veiw most of those sites you mentioned. Even links at wikileaks and Youtube will be banned in the internet filter.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

...if the web becomes like the internet at my school. ANYTHING that could be considered offensive to ANYBODY is blocked...

 

Maybe because they want you to, well, learn in school and not be cruising the internets - not that censorship is good, but the kind of censorship you are talking about seems mainly aimed at eliminated distractions rather than eliminating "ANYTHING that could be considered offensive to ANYBODY." Of the list you posted, only a few sites are things that actually contribute to the school's mission, the rest are items that they might not want to spend bandwidth on. It's just like censorship at the workplace, you're there to do a job and not putter around the interent.

[Masterfade]

Internet censorship isn't that bad with paid VPN services costing little more than ten bucks a month. High data charge on the other hand should be considered crime against humanity.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Masterfade

[Walsingham]

The seventeeth century was an awesome time if you were a french aristocrat

 

You'd think so, except you had to crap into the corner of the room while you were at fancy parties and everybody had bowel problems.

 

 

So... you're saying it's like Thailand?

[mkreku]

Just by looking at the rate by which we're increasing, I'd say for sure that the times have never been better. Hope our future generations have fun finding out just how many people this planet can sustain at the same time.

[Walsingham]

Just by looking at the rate by which we're increasing, I'd say for sure that the times have never been better. Hope our future generations have fun finding out just how many people this planet can sustain at the same time.

 

I'd have thought them having fun was a prerequisite of that particular scientific study.