The internet: Everything you ever need to know

A colleague of mine pointed-out a most thought-provoking article from the Observer newspaper (my colleague knew I'd not have seen it because he knew the Observer was too erudite to be on my reading list!). The article author, John Naughton, offers nine key steps to understanding the most powerful tool of our age – and where it's taking us.

1. Take the long view
2. The web isn't the net
3. Disruption is a feature, not a bug
4. Think ecology, not economics
5. Complexity is the new reality
6. The network is now the computer
7. The web is changing
8. Huxley and Orwell are the bookends of our future
9. Our intellectual property regime is no longer fit for purpose

The article isn't short, but it's worth taking the time to read it. It doesn't cover everything there is to know about the internet, but it covers enough, in a well-considered and insightful manner, to have left me feeling more open-minded and keen to learn more about something I thought I knew well.