>All very true, Hilmar.
>
>But I am interested to know if you've heard the term "information economy" and in what context.

I sure heard the term, in the sense that we are moving towards an information economy, where information has a very high value.

All this is quite true - but the question remains, to what extent does this benefit us (mankind). It can benefit us, if combined with some other (spiritual) aspects. Otherwise...

>If you have, what to you interpret it to be? By the way, I wouldn't consider it to be a "technology" as such, but rather the application of a technology to create a whole new, richer more dynamic ECOMONY.

Yes, of course. I was just comparing it with several other "technological solutions" - not a radically new technology perhaps (although hi-tech is sure involved), but more a way of doing things.

>You see, I don't see anyone getting **real** upset at globalization and the increased pace of movement of GOOD jobs offshore. So I **GUESS** that, knowingly or not, people are banking on "the information economy" to straighten it all out and end up in useful and interesting long-term jobs real soon now.
>And it looks to me that it is all a fictitious thing manufactured by the corporations and media (itself just a few huge corporations) to keep us all quiet until it's just too late.
>
>cheers
>
>>People are easily fooled into believing that technological solutions will improve the World: steam power; electricity; information technology; computers; the green revolution - you name it!
>>
>>What we really need in the World is an improved ethics (I would rather call it "spirituality", but "ethics" or "moral" will do as well).
>>
>>Technological solutions can help, but they are no panacaea. And quite often, the way they are used depends on who uses it - for what purposes. These purposes are not always the betterment of mankind, as it should be.
>>
>>>There continues to be considerable talk around the growing "information economy".
>>>It continues to be used to rationalize the movement of manufacturing jobs offshore (as in "yes, well those are 'old-world' and we are now moving into the information economy with plenty of jobs for the computer-literate").
>>>
>>>Now I am aware of certain successful more recent businesses that sell "information" and make good money. Two that come to mind are weather tracking/predicting and satellite photography. I also know that marketing is successfully using (long deemd private, but they don't care) information from widely disparate sources to improve their techniques and success rates. And of course there are several that have been with us for a long time (well before computers) in specific niches.
>>>
>>>But where is the burgeoning "INFORMATION ECONOMY???
>>>Was it assumed as part of the .COM explosion and forgotten that it was linked in the subsequent collapse?
>>>
>>>I do know of one part of the information stream that is growing like wildfire and will continue unabated for the foreseeable future - work wanted signs and resume production.