Bill Nye the Science Guy
Tape 1
AT&T
(MUSIC UNDER)
BILL NYE: Tomatoes. Anchovies. Hmm. Oregano. Looks like we're ordering ... a pizza. Ha ha. Uh. Oh, hi. See, we humans communicate. We exchange information. And we've been doing it a long time. For as long as there've been humans. Sending messages back and forth all over the Earth. But we're constantly changing the way we do it. Now the sky's the limit. We're sending information.
MAN: The national information infrastructure advisory council presents the national information infrastructure and you. With your host, Bill Nye, the Science Guy.
BILL NYE: We're talking about information. We're talking about ... communicating. See, over the centuries, humans have found all kinds of ways to store and exchange information. We wave, we flash, we talk. Now, whenever we send information from one person to another ...
(VOICES UNDER)
BILL NYE: We need something to send it with. We need a structure.
(COMPUTER SOUNDS)
BILL NYE: What scientists call an information infrastructure. That's the structure underneath. Take a look at this. It's our information sending globe of science.
(TRUMPET MUSIC)
(APPLAUSE)
BILL NYE: Now, right now, everywhere around the world, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year.
MAN: Three hundred sixty-five days a year.
BILL NYE: People are communicating.
MAN: Hello.
BILL NYE: Sending messages all over. And we've been doing it for a long long time.
MAN: Uh-huh.
BILL NYE: Tens, maybe hundreds.
MAN: Right.
BILL NYE: Or thousands.
MAN: Okay.
BILL NYE: A year.
MAN: Yeah.
BILL NYE: Now, at first, communication was difficult.
MAN: And this just in from the Parthenon. This just ... we'll be right back.
BILL NYE: Communication across even small or short distances was hard, if not impossible. We had messages in bottles. We had towers with people waving flags, roads with people running, trails with horses galloping. One if by land, two if by sea, and three for, uh, no anchovies.
MAN: Oh.
BILL NYE: No matter how we communicate, we always use an information infrastructure. And no matter what we call it, it's always been here.
MAN: Extra extra, anchovies, making a comeback.
BILL NYE: See, throughout human history, nothing could come close to the electric speed of the telephone. But our modern electronic lines of communication run faster than that, all over the world. And they're busy day and night. The way we communicate has changed. We don't just talk, we fax. We send electronic E mail.
MAN: You got (Inaudible).
BILL NYE: You're using an information infrastructure right now, if you're watching me. See, it's big. It's getting bigger. It's fast.
(MOS)
BILL NYE: And it's getting faster. It's getting bigger.
MAN: There we go.
BILL NYE: And faster. And bigger and faster, and faster and bigger, and bigger and bigger, and faster and faster, faster faster, bigger bigger, faster faster, bigger. Wa ha ha ha.
(MOS)
BILL NYE: Right now, there are many different ways to send information electronically. But soon, our country is going to have to establish standards for this electronic superhighway. The, uh, information infrastructure. See, we need standards. Because, uh, just imagine driving on a regular highway without a few rules. Like, let's say everybody's going to drive on this side of the street.
(MOS)
BILL NYE: (Inaudible) a close one there.
(MOS)
WOMAN: This highway, of course, already exists. It's made up of all the electronic networks we use every day. Telephone networks, cable TV networks, computer networks, and others. Connected to these networks are information appliances. Telephones, fax machines, televisions, radios, computers, and cellular phones.
(MOS)
BILL NYE: Oh, man. Oh, boy. Don't kid yourself. We're all using parts of our information infrastructure right now. Okay, Dad. I'll type to you later. Bye. Oh, I mean ... bye. See, every time you use a cash machine, a fax line, or even a zip code, you're tapping into some part of it.
WOMAN: I was telling somebody ... they said "What kind of a day did you have?" Is what some people ask me. I said, "Oh, wonderful." "What did you do?" What did I do? I was in the world with the computer.
BILL NYE: Oh, hi. I'm here at the operations center of an international telecommunications network. See, the infrastructure is getting huge. Everything is getting connected. Like, when you make a phone call.
WOMAN: This is really big.
BILL NYE: It might go by phone wire, by microwave transmitter, by fiberoptic cable, or even up to a satellite and back. We're getting so that every piece of the infrastructure can be connected to every other piece.
(MOS)
BILL NYE: All of this information at your fingertips. And it's not just for a few people, it's for everyone. And soon, everyone will be able to make information available to anyone else that's connected. It's wild.
MAN: Uh, Bill.
BILL NYE: Huh? Well, it is wild. And just think of the future, as the infrastructure becomes more complete. As more and more places get hooked on. We'll be able to do all kinds of things without having to trial all kinds of places. The goal is to make the national information infrastructure available to every school in the country by the year 2000. And to make the infrastructure available to every citizen of the United States by the year 2005.
MAN: Well, I call it teching out. You know, they want a basketball out of the neighborhood, or sports (Inaudible) I said no. You want to get out of the 'hood, let's tech out.
MAN: They're talking to people across the planet. People are sitting in Bedford Stuyvesant, sitting right here on the (Inaudible) of the South Bronx. And then communicating with the globe. People on the globe. Now that's exciting.
BILL NYE: Think of it. Doctors will make house calls via computer. Everyone will have access to global libraries, museum and institutional collections, not to mention up to the minute news, weather, and traffic. We'll have electronic two way classrooms. Kids can send in their homework. Adults could schedule a car tune up. Every citizen will be able to find out what's going on in our government any time. One day, we all may be able to pay taxes, renew licenses, or even vote without having to leave home. We're talking a big improvement in your quality of life here. Isn't that what this country is all about? Ha. (Sigh)
(MOS)
BILL NYE: But here's the old fine print, the part underneath. The infra of the structure. You.
WOMAN: Who me?
BILL NYE: You've got to get involved in this right now. What we're calling the national information infrastructure is changing, uh, as I speak, uh, as you listen, or play, or doodle. So don't dawdle. In a word, this is important.
(MOS)
MAN: Pay attention.
(MOS)
MAN: Pay att ...
BILL NYE: See, you have the power. You can help decide the future. You can't just be saying, oh, no, no, I'm fine. I ... this doesn't really effect me. I ... I don't really feel that I need to be involved.
(MOS)
BILL NYE: Now, don't do that. Waaaah! You. You. Who, me? You.
WOMAN: Me?
BILL NYE: You.
WOMAN: You.
WOMAN: What can I do?
BILL NYE: You must get involved. We have to figure out what these new ideas and standards are going to be. See, that's where you come in, because there's a whole bunch of questions that need to be answered. Anyway, there are important issues here, like privacy. How do we provide access to everyone, like people with disabilities. And what access do kids have? How can we be sure that every America gets included? Or maybe there's regulations we need to get rid of. Okay, we got to protect people's intellectual property, like copyrights and trademarks. Well, a lot of people have lots of ideas. Make sure yours get included. So here's what I want you to do. I want you ... I want you to talk about this. Fiberoptic. I want you to get involved. Satellite transmissions. I want you to, uh, get your library, your school, your community center. Get that hardware installed. We have to talk about, uh, cable. Get them hooked up and on line. Provide access to as many people as possible. Get our governments to speed things along. Talk it over in town meetings, PTA. Talk about this at your (Inaudible) business luncheon, so that everybody can be involved with this thing, okay. Write to your mayor, your member of Congress, your senator. Tell your friends. Tell your friend's friends. Talk to people you don't even know. Just tell them and get them thinking. It's not just about fancy phone calls or the Internet. No, this thing is big. It's really big. Big big big. It's huge. It's bigly hugely gigantically big. The national information infrastructure. It's the national information infrastructure.
(MOS)
BILL NYE: Ooh. From up here you realize that we're closer than you might think. From now on, you'll be able to access anywhere on Earth from virtually anywhere. Even up here. Get involved in the national information infrastructure today. You'll be glad you did. Oh, my pizza's here.
MAN: Houston, we have a pizza.
(MUSIC UNDER)
MAN: And now, the President of the United States of America.
BILL CLINTON: I hope all of you are as excited as Bill Nye, the Science Guy, is about the information infrastructure. I know I am. The information infrastructure is a big phrase for a simple idea. It's the way we all communicate with each other. And the ways we communicate are changing even as you watch this video. That's why I'm working so hard to make sure that all of you are going to be prepared for the Twenty-first Century with the knowledge and skills you need. Vice President Gore and I are working to make sure that all of our classrooms and libraries in America are connected to the information superhighway by the end of the decade. We know that in order for you to learn, you need computers, software, and well trained teachers. The national information infrastructure is not just about hardware and software. It's really about people. It's about communication. It's about our ability to teach each other, to learn from each other, and to talk with each other in new ways. In schools, at home, and around the world. We should enjoy everything it has to offer. So let's work together to make America ready for the information age.
(MUSIC UNDER)
MAN: For more information on how you can get involved, write the U.S. Department of Commerce, NTIA Open Net Center, Room 1609, Fourteenth and Constitution Ave, Northwest, Washington D.C., 20230.
(MOS)
MAN: Fax us. 2025016198.
(MOS)
MAN: Phone us. 2024823999.
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(END OF TAPE)
BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY
"The Typettes, Fingers That Dance!" (212-505-6518)
BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY
"The Typettes, Fingers That Dance!" (212-505-6518)
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