ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA: Digital Downloads of Fun

The Web is the most far-reaching, educationally-intelligent, interactive content and entertainment framework ever conceived. As such, it envelops all previously disparate media, converging them into a global multimedium. This multimedium extends all of our senses - our entire consciousness - into cyberspace. Simultaneously, it funnels fun into our homes.

The PC is about to swallow the TV. The latest PCs come with built-in TV-tuner cards. Bingo! Bye-bye TV and video stores. Today's already-fantastic Web will be a multimedia, interactive "VideoWeb" that could displace most TV content. In contrast to TV, the Web doesn't set the available content. It is a "webertainment" utility where you can get what you want when you want it, not on some preset take-it-or-leave-it schedule. This will become more obvious once interactive broadband is widely available.

Your online "home theater" will know what each member of the family likes to watch. It will alert you to new movie releases that will most interest you. No more driving to the video store to search a limited selection and then having to drive the tape or DVD back again next day. As every movie ever made gets digitized and made available for download, video rental stores will be "block-busted" out of business.