ABSTRACT
The Spanish Civil Guard attempts a coup. Television coverage of the action is broadcast throughout Europe and North America almost immediately via satellite. An orbiting satellite senses a vast, barren land 560 miles below. The microwave "pictures" are so clear, the data so precise that an analyst can determine the likelihood of mineral deposits and direct on site exploration. Commerce, banking, entertainment, service, the assembly line, education, and health are fundamentally different from a decade ago because of information technology, and people are only gradually realizing the difference information technology (IT) has made. IT permits rapid dissemination of ideas, values, and processes; supplements education, science, health care, and culture; provides the potential for two-way exchanges of information to learn what people really need, and manages resources and data to facilitate the production and distribution of wealth. IT is the machine, communication is the product; IT is the means, communication, the result; IT is the hardware, communication, the software.
