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Is there more to the Internet than I'm even thinking?
I mean, am I missing something?

To put it nicely -- the significance and implications of the Internet are so enormous that they're impossible to fully comprehend. Below I have provided some major and minor examples of things that are changing because of the 'net. Pay particular attention to how new technology has affected the status quo of the companies in the major examples. And note that not one of these examples involves using the net as an extension of traditional marketing and advertising models.

Major example: The entertainment industry. Last summer you bought a music CD. Next summer you maybe you'll download it. You thought the 200 disc CD changer was the last word in music storage. But it probably didn't occur to you that you could store 1000 CDs worth of music on your PC, did it? Hmmm.

Up Next -- the same thing happens to Hollywood with videos on DVD.

Minor example: My friend Bill: (who lives in New Jersey) and I (who live in Wisconsin) can easily collaborate on an article for a magazine headquartered in California. We can use e-mail, or even chat and revise copy in real time.

Major example: The telephone companies. I can call Bill long distance for free using Internet telephony (Voice Over IP technology).

Sure it takes a fair amount of expensive equipment (like a computer and a modem but it's equipment we both already own. The telephone companies are hot about this one.

Minor example: I can hear a kangaroo! I can easily contact a friend I made last summer in Sweden, who actually lives in Australia.

Major example: The power utilities. They haven't gotten into the game yet, but some geniuses have figured out that they already run wires to every house that might have a computer. My power meter transmits it's readings through the wire... Is TCP/IP far behind? Will the power utilities become communications companies?

Minor example: The software industry. I knew some people who, ten years ago, got into a business that featured revolving racks of floppy disks, each containing a shareware title and selling for $4.99.

Since shareware distribution has gone almost exclusively to online downloads, I wonder what they put in those racks today?

Major example: The stock market. Last summer you might have paid a discount broker $30 - $50 to make a stock trade. You could do it on the Internet right now for eight bucks.

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