Fast forward

"The very speed and productivity of computers have accelerated the pace of change - and their ubiquity means that the Internet affects nearly every walk of life. For Fast Forward, former Federal Communications Commission chairman Alfred C. Sikes assembled a "power panel" of twenty-four Americans from a variety of disciplines who are leading the march into tomorrow, and asked them to provide an authoritative glimpse into the world of potential that is literally at our fingertips.". "How will instantaneous electronic mail - and even more sophisticated methods of communication still to come - continue to erase the geographical boundaries between far-flung families? What will be the effect of virtual shopping and instantaneous price comparisons on bricks-and-mortar retail stores and on their customers? When individuals and families have access to vast resources of medical information, how will the doctor-patient relationship change? And amid all this communication and linking of computers and households, how are we to ensure our families' privacy and security?"--BOOK JACKET.