Second Short Quiz

[johnkarls]

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1. Many of the predictions of our authors can be classified into either the Optimistic View or the Pessimistic View -- what are these views? Is this what Bill Clinton was talking about when, with respect to The New Digital Age, he stressed the importance of “making the right choices today”?

2. What is Sina Weibo?

3. Does its existence support the Optimistic View of our authors?

4. What is internet Balkanization? Was it developed by Google to accommodate China? Does it portend the ability of repressive regimes to maintain their control?

5. Our authors spend a great deal of time talking about P-2-P communications: What is it? Is it really the panacea that they seem to think?

6. Our authors spend a great deal of time talking about encryption: What is it? Is it really the panacea that they seem to think?

7. What is Boulean logic? Do Boulean-logic searches mean that a repressive government would have to spend very little time monitoring its citizens in order to weed out virtually all of the trouble makers effectively?

8. How easy would it be in the future for the leader of a democracy to stage a coup against her/his own government in order to become a dictator?

9. Does the future of the physical world look bright, so long as the dangers of the cyber-world do not screw things up (please pardon “my French”)?

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And, to finish with some comparatively-irrelevant but hopefully-amusing tidbits --

10. Does Germany discriminate against its senior citizens? Do our authors inadvertently promise such discrimination will be overcome?

11. Even though our authors did not promise to help classical-music connoisseurs (please see Q&A-12 of the First Short Quiz), have they inadvertently “promised the world” to balletomanes?

12. The London Telegraph reviewer of The New Digital Age twitted our authors about their alleged ignorance regarding their usage of the phrase “brave new world,” but in doing so did Matt Warman really disgrace himself instead?