Subject: Net.Hap.fwd: MISC> NETWORKED PLANET EXHIBIT

From: [email-masked] (Judy Hallman)
Date: 13 Nov 1994 19:56:59 -0000

To Triangle Free-Net list:

Looks like an interesting place to visit...

Judy Hallman ([email-masked])

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 1994 08:38:19 -0600 (CST)
From: Gleason Sackman <[email-masked]>
To: net-happenings <[email-masked]>
Subject: MISC> NETWORKED PLANET EXHIBIT (fwd)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
SENDER: [email-masked] (Steve Golson)
Subject: NETWORKED PLANET EXHIBIT
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 1994 02:16:09 GMT

CONTACT
Gail Jennes (East Coast)
617-426-2800 x341
Internet: [email-masked]

Carol Welsh (West Coast)			FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
415-323-1909
Internet: [email-masked]

THE COMPUTER MUSEUM'S NEW PERMANENT EXHIBIT
MAKES THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY "VISIBLE"

Boston, MA (November 1, 1994) - On November 12, 1994, The Computer Museum opens 
THE NETWORKED PLANET, the first exhibit to make the "information highway" and 
global networks accessible to the general public. In one hour, visitors to the 
exhibit can see, feel and use the "information highway" and understand when and 
how it touches them.

The only exhibit of its kind in the world, THE NETWORKED PLANET: Traveling the 
Information Highway(TM) is a $2 million microcosm of global networks. The 
exhibit reveals the inner workings of the large-scale "invisible" networks that 
we rely on, such as global banking systems, telephone networks, and aircraft 
tracking systems. It also provides access to new networking opportunities at 
home, work and school through first-hand experiences with the Internet and 
on-line services.

A July 1994 Harris poll showed that while 48 percent of adult Americans have 
heard of the "information highway," most of them don't know much about its key 
components. The Computer Museum decided to build the exhibit to address this 
confusion. 

The exhibit is designed as a ride along the "information highway" with 
electronic tour guides at every stop. Issued a Key Card, visitors log in and 
pick a "Network Guide." In each new area, their guide explains both the 
technology and impact of the network being highlighted, and prompts them to 
weigh the costs and benefits of the technology. The issues of privacy, 
information overload, and life and love in the new electronic age are raised.

"This exhibit is significant because networks affect every man, woman, child 
and community," said Boston University Professor of Management Lee Sproull, a 
member of the exhibit's NEH-funded humanities advisory board.

HIGHLIGHTS

Large-scale "Invisible" Networks

* Travel down a 3D animated telephone line and find out how all kinds of
  network connections (e-mail, cellular calls or fax) are made over the
  phone system.
* Watch a live satellite, radar and lightning sensor feed of weather across
  the USA.
* Track the location of all commercial planes in the air.
* Follow the flow of over $3 trillion around the globe each day through the
  S.W.I.F.T. banking network.

Personal Tools

* Discover the Internet, using the "Internet Sampler" to explore various
  communities and services available on the world's largest computer
  network. As of December 1, 1994, the "Sampler" will be accessible on the
  World Wide Web at "http://www.net.org".
* Sample a variety of commercial on-line services including America Online,
  eWorld and CompuServe.
* Find out how life on the "information highway" can impact your health and
  what you can do about it.

TECHNOLOGY

This exhibit involves the creative and technical expertise and support of over 
200 people from over 50 corporations and institutions around the world. The 
exhibit runs on its own computer network, enabling the Network Guides to track 
visitors. Sprint fiber optic T1 lines permit live network feeds from around the 
globe.

The NETWORKED PLANET is made possible with support from: Principal Sponsor: 
Sprint. Major Underwriters: National Science Foundation, National Endowment for 
the Humanities. Major Sponsors: Apple Computer, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, 
Novell, Inc., NYNEX Corporation, Stratus Computer, Inc., S.W.I.F.T. Supporting 
Sponsors: Banyan Systems Inc., Chipcom Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., Fannie 
Cox Foundation, Harvard Community Health Plan Foundation, Morgridge Family 
Foundation, Pisces Productions, Paul and Kathleen Severino, Sun Microsystems, 
Inc., Thomson Financial Services, and Wellfleet Communications, Inc.

-30-