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Steve Crocker, the man who invented the RFCs -- the documentation for the internet. Image: ICANN

Steve Crocker was there when the internet was born. The date was Oct. 29, 1969, and the place was the University of California, Los Angeles. Crocker was among a small group of UCLA researchers who sent the first message between the first two nodes of the ARPAnet, the U.S. Department of Defensefunded network that eventually morphed into the modern internet.

Crockers biggest contribution to the project was the creation of the Request for Comments, or RFC. Shared among the various research institutions building the ARPAnet, these were documents that sought to describe how this massive network would work, and they were essential to its evolution so essential, theyre still used today.

Like the RFCs, Crocker is still a vital part of the modern internet. Hes the chairman of the board of ICANN, the organization which operates the internets domain naming system, following in the footsteps of his old high school and UCLA buddy Vint Cerf. And like Cerf, Crocker is part of the inaugural class inducted into the Internet Societys (ISOC) Hall of Fame.

This week, he spoke with Wired about the first internet transmission, the creation of the RFCs, and their place in history. RFC is now included in the Oxford English Dictionary. And so is Steve Crocker.

Wired: Some say the internet was born on Oct. 29, 1969, when the first message was sent between UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). But others say it actually arrived a few weeks earlier, when UCLA set up its ARPAnet machines. You were there. Which is it?

Steve Crocker: October. The very first attempt to get some communication between our machine, a Sigma 7, and [Douglas] Engelbarts machine, an SDS-940, at SRI.

Famously, it crashed.

We tried to log in [to the SRI machine]. We had a very simple terminal protocol so that you could act like you were a terminal at our end and log in to their machine. But the software had a small bug in it. We sent the l and the o, but the g caused a crash.

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Meet the Man Who Invented the Instructions for the Internet

Internet Governance Must Ensure Access for Everyone UN Expert

New York, May 18 2012 2:10PM

As a powerful global information resource, the Internet must be accessible to everyone and measures to ensure this must be taken, a United Nations independent expert said today.

Since the Internet is essentially a global resource, it is crucial that appropriate Internet governance supports the right of everyone to have access to and use information and communication technologies in self-determined and empowering ways, <"http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12165&LangID=E">said the UN Special Rapporteur on cultural rights, Farida Shaheed, adding that a human-rights based approach to the issue should always be adopted.

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Internet Governance Must Ensure Access for Everyone – UN Exp

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -05/18/12)- China's internet stocks have posted mixed results recently as government restrictions, high costs, and a shift to mobile devices have made it difficult for companies to tap into the nation's vast online market. It is estimated that only 37.7 percent of China is online according to the China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC). Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in China's Internet Sector and provides equity research on E Commerce China Dangdang Inc. (DANG) and Youku Inc. (YOKU)

Access to the full company reports can be found at:

http://www.FiveStarEquities.com/DANG http://www.FiveStarEquities.com/YOKU

China currently has more than 500 million internet users. China's internet growth has lagged in recent years, 55.8 million users were still added in 2011, according to the CINIC. Estimates from eMarketer, a digital-marketing research firm, projects that online advertising revenue is projected to grow from $4.6 billion in 2011 to $9.5 billion in 2014. With tight restrictions from the government and growing competition, internet companies have struggled to turn users into reliable sources of revenue.

"A lot of these problems are coming from the fact that most of these firms are still figuring out what the ultimate business model is going to be," said David Wolf, chief executive of Wolf Group Asia. In regards to slowing internet user growth, he added, "It will be about who has the deeper pockets and who is going to be able to evolve their service to keep users. We are looking at more spending before we see more revenue."

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on China's Internet Sector so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at http://www.FiveStarEquities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

E-Commerce China Dangdang Inc. is a leading business-to-consumer e-commerce company in China. Dangdang recorded an operating loss of RMB107.2 million ($17.0 million) in the first quarter of 2012, as compared with an operating income of RMB1.3 million in the corresponding period in 2011.

Youku Inc. is China's leading Internet television company. Their Internet television platform enables users to search, view and share high-quality video content quickly and easily across multiple devices. Youku, which stands for "what's best and what's cool" in Chinese, is the most recognized online video brand in China. The company received an Internet Publication License from China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) on March 28.

Five Star Equities provides Market Research focused on equities that offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return. We strive to provide the most up-to-date market activities. We constantly create research reports and newsletters for our members. Five Star Equities has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned companies. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at: http://www.FiveStarEquities.com/disclaimer

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Chinese Internet Stocks Posting Mixed Results

15-05-2012 00:09 She's come a long way! In her monologue, Ellen reflected on the path she's taken through her career. Before her sitcom, she appeared in a commercial that made a big splash, and we found it on the internet!

Originally posted here:
Ellen Through Time - Video

Image Credit: John Russo

Aaron Sorkin needs to clear a space on his cluttered mantle. The king of the walk-and-talk recently signed on to adapt Walter Isaacsons Steve Jobs biography and considering how many awards The Social Network won, its safe to guess that Sorkins next peek behind the computer screen will be similarly celebrated.

But even though Sorkin snagged an Oscar for writing about the technorati, its still deeply weird that he somehow became Hollywoods go-to tech biopic scribe. Sorkin has long had a love-hate relationship with computers accent on the hate.

After getting into a string of online arguments with Television Without Pity posters in the early 00s, Sorkin wrote an episode of The West Wing that featured a subplot about how horrible Internet users are. (Josh to C.J., on a certain site: Its a crazy place. Its got this dictatorial leader who Im sure wears a muumuu and chain smokes Parliaments. C.J. to Josh: The people on these sites, theyre the cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest!) An episode of Studio 60 also revolved partially around the characters reactions to a critical blogger; as one opined, Its like weve all spent the last five years living in a Roger Corman film called Revenge of the Hack. Another dismissed the blogger as someone with a freezer full of Jenny Craig who sits surrounded by her five cats. Even the new trailer for Sorkins upcoming HBO drama, The Newsroom, includes a moment in which Jeff Daniels character reacts with disdain when Dev Patels character mentions his blog.

And then there are the various Internet bashing comments Sorkin himself has made over the years. Heres a sampling of his greatest hits:

One of the things I find troubling about the Internet, as great a resource tool as it is, and as nice as it is that we can all communicate with each other, and that everybody has a voice the thing is, everybodys voice oughtnt be equal. Chicago Tribune, January 19, 2007

And the Internet [doesnt help]its a bronchial infection on the First Amendment. Nothing has done more to make us dumber or meaner than the anonymity of the Internet. GQ, August 12, 2008

Theres just too much bad information getting out there, and I have to believe thats mostly the fault of the Internet, which isnt held to any standards of accuracyI have to tell you, I dont feel like I had any trouble getting information before. Every morning two newspapers were literally thrown at my house. All I had to do was open the door and get them. Anyway, Im not quite getting the Internet. New York, September 17, 2010

You are witnessing mad men and mad womenIt only takes five [comments] before you find somebody with a severe mental disorder. Vulture, September 30, 2010

I do think that socializing on the Internet is to socializing what reality TV is to reality. The Colbert Report, September 30 2010

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Aaron Sorkin hates the Internet. Why does he keep writing about tech geniuses?