P A R A L L E L I
- SERG -
"E L E C T R O N N Li E D E R E V N I"
Blacksburg - a paradise for students and seniors
When a resident of Blacksburg Cameron Gaylord was born, his
Clark's father told the news to friends and family. But do not
call and no letter. He just went to the computer and typed a
short phrase: "It's a boy!". Then a few more times touched the
keyboard, and an e-mail went to 14,000 addresses.
14,000 subscribers - it's home computers Blacksburg, a small
town in Virginia with a population of 35,000.
Before you go have lunch with his wife, 69-year-old Dennis
Gentry sits at the computer and causes the on-screen
information that What's new in local restoranah.Chto tasty in
today's menu, which recommends that the chef, where announced
discounts. Strike by klvisham, movement arm "and the printer
creeps restaurant coupon. Welcome to lunch!
In Blacksburg, the city is around Polytechnic Institute and
unizhersiteta Virginia, you can not leave home to vote, obtain
a driver's license or a foreign passport. Not getting out of
the slippers, and listen to Tchaikovsky concerto performed by
an amateur orchestra, sound and image excellent quality come on
the screen. You can walk the halls of the museum, or order the
book from the library.
If you are going on vacation, bleksburzhtsy send an e-mail
to neighbors asking look after the house, water the flowers,
remove mail from the mailbox. Fathers arranging meetings over a
beer on the monitor screen and reconcile their time when it is
time posting on a fishing trip.
"We give people the opportunity to communicate an
unconventional way, "Says Andrew Cowhill, project manager
Blekburgskaya electronic village", through which the everyday
life of this the city was now the most technically advanced in
the U.S.. - And not only communicate, but also save a lot of
time shopping and domestic affairs, on the implementation of
all the boring but necessary duty. "
Blacksburg - the "electronic" U.S. city, although apparently
it is no different from thousands of small towns, "one-storey
America: a cozy, green, clean and quiet, despite the fact that
62 percent of its population are studenty.V Blacksburg lowest
unemployment rate (3 5%), and sociologists make it to the list
of twenty cities, where having retired, to spend the rest of
life. But behind the quiet town outside - the raging sea of
the latest achievements and capture the imagination of
technological experiments. The project "e-village" linked 40%
of city dwellers with the Internet - and 62% gave access to
e-mail system.
Contrary to the belief that older people are reluctant to be
attached to the latest and technology, the most active
"computer people" in Blacksburg - Pensioners. According to
opinion polls, they are using electronic communications to
three times more likely than younger people. Scientists very
interested in the city and its inhabitants, because of
"electronic village", in essence, is a model of future American
society. 84.6 percent bleksburzhtsev believe that the
computerization of society was divided and not bring people
together, that today they live more friendly than before.
To the level of Blacksburg have already reached the city in
the state Tellyurayd Colorado, Glasgow, Kentucky, Taos, New
Mexico and Palo Alto, California. They are characterized by
common features: the presence of more shogo University, a
network of enterprises with modern technology, a high
percentage of educated population and relatively small number
of inhabitants.
/ As the world's press materials.
