Computer-Related Risks

Epilogue

AS A CIVILIZATION, we have become increasingly dependent on computers and communications. In this rush to technologize, however, we must not lose sight of our need to retain contact with ourselves, our fellow citizens, our environment, our planet, and our solar system.

In a 1954 story,¹ Isaac Asimov depicts a world in the year 2117 in which people use a virtual “Door” to teleport themselves from one place to another, worldwide, thereby avoiding the dangers of the natural world. When one of the Doors fails to operate, a 12-year-old, Dickie Hanshaw, is forced to use an emergency egress (a “door”) to go to school. For the first time in his life, he walks through the outdoors.

After this experience, Dickie’s behavior changes radically, ...