Help Screen

by Alice Patterson
Spring 1998

This thought-provoking analysis by Steven Miller examines the development of America's National Information Infrastructure (NII), looking at the roles it has played--and will continue to play--in shaping America's political and economic backbone. Miller covers a feast of topics, from the government's role in shaping information policy and the reformation of the national telecommunications policy, to what citizens can do at the local level to help shape the cyberspace revolution, to how to best protect our privacy. Civilizing Cyberspace was written for professionals studying the information technology field, but it's also a great read for non-technical people simply interested in learning more about the development of the Information Superhighway. While Miller's broad approach is successful, professionals might find some of the sub-chapters, like "What is a Network," and "Origins of the Internet" too basic. Overall, however, Miller does us all a favor by taking such a huge and important topic by the horns and wrestling it into a neat package nearly anyone can--and should--understand.****
--AG

TV-Proof Your Kids: A Parent's Guide to Safe and Healthy Viewing
Lauryn Axelrod
(1997, Citadel Press, 120 Enterprise Avenue, Secaucus, NJ 07094, 272 pp., $12).

Thoughtful parents will find this book informative, helpful and scary. Axelrod's unapologetic psychology and real-life scenarios present a somewhat adversarial attitude toward TV, but her intentions are benign. The book is designed to create conscious viewers out of couch potatoes. Chapters include lengthy discussions on subconsciously accepted TV status quos: gender stereotypes, racism, violence, and consumer come-ons. With eyes uncomfortably open to reality, readers then move on to suggested activities to combat the particular problem and develop media literacy. Are you media illiterate? Probably. Did you know that HBO offers an average of 14 violent incidents per hour? Or that the founder of the Media Education Foundation was sued by MTV for his video, Dreamworlds, in which he points out MTV's harmful objectification of women? These are snippets culled from just the sidebars; the entire book is packed with sobering facts guaranteed to motivate passive parents. Given such thorough, if depressing, research, it is surprising that Axelrod endorses TV viewing at all. Her recommendations are insightful and worth pursuing, and the book itself is equal to a month of prime-time TV. * * * *
--TM

I Want My Web TV
David Fox
(1997, Waite Group Press, 200 Tamal Plaza, Corte Madera CA 94925, 352 pp., $19.99).

Like many sophisticated technology buffs, David Fox invested time and money perfecting his PC only to discover "the action" had moved to a set-top box. Sensibly, he moved with it and offers an explorer's glowing report of this brave new electronic world. Hip and hectic, the book describes the difference between Web and TV, offers a brief timeline of technology, then spends a chapter walking readers through box-buying, plugging in and channel surfing. The bulk of the book is a Web directory, but a pretty good one. The categories are intelligently organized and provocative, moving from a TV-focused center (UTV, PBS ONLINE, FOXWORLD) to outer fringes such as the arts, topical information, education, money and travel. Listings feature an address and a quick, sometimes careless characterization, often showing the site's home page. Chapters include related resources, newsstands, tech tips and word-on-the-street tidbits from other Web TV users. The format maintains an over-caffeinated design, with info bits, graphics and typefacing competing for attention, definitely more appealing to punk visualists than traditional textualists. But the information is there for the open-minded, regardless of previous media habits. "Let WebTV be your eyes to the deepest reaches of yourself," Fox urges. Well, okay. What's the URL? * * *
--TM

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