the impact and importance of the miscellaneous

People driven data/news/information

I felt that one of the important aspects to Weinberger's information was the feeling I got of the power that the internet has given to the people which is so different from just a generation ago.
People can choose the news they want to read instead of some editor's choice too often driven by politics and money. They can now choose where to get this information or whether they want to watch the news or buy a newspaper to be informed. We can search and compare various view points rather than be manipulated by what others decide we should know and interpret. ( For example, the political stance of the Idaho Statesman) Of course there will be unfiltered miscellaneous but there is still choice.
We no longer have to accept only the information that Brittannica deems worthy of print; we do not have to accept only knowledge that has been prepared in certain forms, but can search and construct and verify and build and evaluate, all highly valuable critical thinking skills. Weinberger says ," ...Wikipedia tells us that topics are busting out of their bindings...and that the world is more interesting that the Briannica lets on(208)."

Web-Affected businesses

I remember when the first problems came up with real estate brokers losing business to the internet search sites. They appealed and took it to court to protect their careers, a whole employment force was threatened. We were attempting to buy a house at the time and I loved the idea of searching and dealing myself without paying a huge fee to a real estate agent who I felt does not do enough to justify the payment ( compared to teachers salary for example.. agents can often make a year teacher salary on one sale!).
Newapapers and magazine are threatened by the internet, as well as the medical profession who is currently setting up ways to get treated by a doctor for basic care online with huge savings.
Weinberger says , .."the threat comes not from particular sites but from the difficulty of keeping information from becoming miscellaneous (134)." There will be threats to the ecomony but I think that so many things that save money, productivity and time is an advancement although at the price of personal service and interaction. I would thing that losing teaching( in person) woul dbe a sad loss for youthe even though it is done almost completey with adults and some alternative high school online for various reasons. Does anyone see this becoming the way of the future for all schools?

Education:
In 2014 the nation will put into effect, a new standard of testing students that will be computerized and nationally standardized. The reports say that it will save schools billions of dollars on testing, a much needed financial need that can put the money back where it belongs in the schools. Computer programs have been made to be more specific, yet more fairly administered to account for the many differences in students and more accurately reflect real learning. I hope it is much better than it is now. As Weinberger says though in our current school learning moder, "knowledge is being able to fill in a paper with the right answers.(144)
Teaching will need to be more interactive, will have to restructure around technology inclusive curriculums for the future, As Weinberg states, " One thing for sure, when our kids become teachers they are not going to be administering tests to students sitting in a neat grid of desks with the shades drawn. (145).
The internet will continue to be a way to save money and use resources more effectively. ( think of all the savings from not having to buy those expensive encyclopedia sets our families all went into debt for a generation ago!)

Affect on people:
I think the internet is allowing for a more open minded, creative society. People have so much access to knowlege, to finding new information and searching for learning. More people have opportunities to write and speak which makes them develop mentally and socially and learn to think larger and higher. I think of even how much more financial literacy,for example that people have now that never existed or was available years ago. There is no limit to what a person can learn and discover. Weinberger talks about a teacher friend who says," classroom teachers know that their job is to... keep their students from thinking issues are too simple (211)." With everything that they have access to on the internet, they are becoming experts at multi-tasking, making connections, objections and elaborations. Teachers are keeping up by class blogs were students can share links, continue discussions..."be complex together(211)," just as we are doing in this class.
These are just some of the ideas that stand out to me, others that made me thing I have shared in post comments. I am optomistic about this resource, but also now more aware of some of the problems and concerns.