A co-founder of the Internet
Multicasting Service (IMS), a
freelance non-profit
organisation, Malamud helped
start up Internet Talk Radio way
back in 1993 (ages ago in
Internet years).
''We did a lot original live
broadcasting over the net,'' he
explained during a visit to
Bangkok last month, ''including
the first online congressional
hearings.'' Perhaps more
entertaining was his celebrated
''Geek of the Week'' audio
programme in which he would
interview various digital gurus.
The IMS came up with another
coup when it decided to put
online the US Securities and
Exchange Commissions Edgar
database -- basically a huge
compilation of corporate
reports.
Access to this data had
previously been highly
restricted, so much so that it
formed the basis for a US$280
million ''retail information''
industry, according to Malamud.
But the IMS only had to spend
$150,000 each year to put it all
on the Internet, free for anyone
to see.
''We did it for two years and had
50,000 daily users,'' he said.
Those who wondered why this
information hadn't been made
freely available could simply
click to another page which
explained why the data was
being restricted and who they
could lobby to liberate it.
''The government was upset.
Everyone said it was going to
kill the retail information market.
But in fact, it has ended up
expanding it. They are now
getting 500,000 hits a day,''
said Malamud.
In 1996, Malamud and his
colleagues made another big
splash when they organised the
Internet World's Fair, a huge
collection of digital exhibitions
set up with the help of corporate
donors. More than 80 different
countries participated and more
than five million people visited
the fairgrounds. You can find a
detailed interview on the subject
at
''www.wordsworth.com/www/epresent/malamudinterview/7935337045''.
''There was a lot of resonance
with the World Fairs of the last
century, where many new
inventions were first exhibited,''
he explained. ''Electricity was a
big hit at the fair in Chicago in
1893, for instance, along with
hamburgers, postcards and
Cracker Jacks.''
The Internet World Exposition
can still be seen at
''www//park.org/'', which
includes a very attractive map
to the fairgrounds. It has a bit of
an eery, empty feeling -- either
because the expo is officially
over or because the virtual
crowds who visit it are not
visible -- but most of the
exhibitions still seem to be in
place and are well worth
visiting. There are a whole
range of pavilions on everything
from art to animals.
''We also wanted to leave
something behind, like an Eiffel
Tower,'' Malamud added. ''So
we left behind the big computers
we used all over the world,
which we hope will be kind of
like a Central Park for the
Internet.''
Malamud believes there is a
strong need for public space in
cyberspace. ''If the Internet's a
global village, we have a choice
of what our community will look
like. It's best to balance the
public and private sectors.
There is a risk it will be all
'bedroom communities' and strip
malls like AOL [America Online].
Will the highways be crowded?
Will there be parks?''
Malamud's next project is even
more ambitious: nothing less
than an Atlas of the Internet.
''We want to build a default map
for the Internet, because a map
can answer some things that
pages can't. If we do it right, we
can scale,'' he adds, meaning
you should be able to zoom in to
obtain more detail on areas of
interest.
''Also, it's a protocol, so people
will also be able to build their
own maps from it, and
eventually we could expand it
so that it can host 3-D avatars,''
like in the Metaverse
envisioned by science fiction
writers.
The more you talk to Malamud,
the more you realise that the
Internet is still in its infancy. He
compares the current stage to
the onset of television half a
century ago: ''TV was originally
radio with pictures. Then people
realised you can have two
cameras showing different
angles. Those who are simply
trying to turn the Internet into a
TV over your computer will
lose,'' he predicts.
What mistakes are being made
now? ''Well, just supplying audio
with a page of text doesn't make
sense. You can use more
sophisticated links. For instance
a music review can include
passages from a song at
certain points, or you can
process news clips.
''You can also send out
broadcasts live while
simultaneously recording them
so that people can listen when
they like. TV shows are instantly
gone (unless you use a VCR).
The Internet allows you to build
up over time.
''Customising is also important.
We've gotten tremendous
feedback. It's hard to do that in
TV-land.''
Malamud admires what CNN is
doing with its multimedia
presentations. ''They've got all
their stuff online, for instance,
weather reports from wherever
you want. The New York Times,
on the other hand, is killing
itself by making users outside
the US pay to access their
website.''
Thailand is also in danger of
falling behind. ''There should
be a national effort to make
Thailand more visible on the
Net, not just an obligatory
website from the Amazing
Thailand campaign,'' says
Malamud, a frequent visitor to
the Kingdom. ''You should be
able to see VRML [virtual
reality] pictures of temples. You
should be able to make
reservations online.''
Concludes Malamud, ''It's no
different from having an
airport''. Well, it might be
slightly different. It should be a
lot cheaper.