BKHILNET.RVW   961022
 
"The Hill on the Net", Chris Casey, 1996, 0-12-162870-1, U$19.95
%A   Chris Casey chris@casey.com
%C   525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA   92101-4495
%D   1996
%G   0-12-162870-1
%I   Academic Press Professional
%O   U$19.95 619-231-0926 800-321-5068 fax: 619-699-6380 app@acad.com
%P   266
%T   "The Hill on the Net: Congress Enters the Information Age"
 
The subtitle, of course, may be overstating the case.  Given Clipper, Exon, and
the phrase "Information Superhighway", Washington, DC, if it has been dragged
to the edge of the info age, has not entered with any degree of enthusiasm or
understanding.  Still, from his position as a support staffer in Senator Edward
Kennedy's office, Casey has been around for most of the evolution, such as it
is.  He provides an insider's view and perspective on the activities and
development of electronic communication in the political side of the US federal
government.
 
There were a couple of ironies I found in reviewing the book.  One is that, for
all my complaints about general Internet titles that were profoundly
US-centric, this book, legitimately concentrating on strictly American
political concerns, provides a fascinating insight into the Washington
machinery, particularly in regard to correspondence with constituents.  Another
is that Casey's limited computer background in no way detracts from the text. 
A text by a technical expert would have been quite a different work.
 
Casey's background is, in a sense, representative of the lack of familiarity
with computer and communications technology in the US capitol as a whole.  It
is instructive to watch Casey go into lecture mode as he berates the general
public over the style of email to be sent to representatives.  (The rest of us
get spam on a daily basis, and most don't have paid staff to deal with it. 
Lighten up, Chris.)  It is also interesting to come to the end of the book and
realize that much has been said about press releases, postings, and Web sites
for the politicians to get the message out to the electorate, and almost
nothing about the use of the net as a research tool for those who are supposed
to make the big decisions.
 
As I discussed the book with my wife, she reminded me to the antics of Ted
White, our local Member of (Canada's) Parliament.  He has spent thousands (and
thousands more than he should have) on various technical schemes to poll the
riding.  He seems to have a knack for picking the wrong technology for some
very good ideas.  Still, for all his incompetence, you have to admire someone
who is so willing to push the envelope on the political use of technology.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996   BKHILNET.RVW   961022

======================
  Please note the Peterson story - http://www.netmind.com/~padgett/trial.htm
                 Genesis 4:9/Proverbs 24: 11,12 - your choice