things that happen as the cost of information declines

"Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you for your loyal patronage. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a customer service representative."

Western Union stops sending telegrams.

As Rex Miller, Francis McInerney, and Sean White have noted, the lowering cost of information has a disruptive effect on society. Western Society has seen this with

• writing
• the book
• radio
• tv
• the internet
  

When I was in seminary, I used to contact Believers Bible Chapel in Dallas and request cassette tapes of the now late S. Lewis Johnson, a former Dallas Theological Seminary professor who was a fine teacher.

I just discovered that Believers Bible Chapel has been placing Dr. Johnson's messages and lectures on their website and I've been filling up my Nano.

First hardware changes, then software, and then - lagging far behind - is users adjustment to the new capabilities. It is still believed that those who wish to learn the church's theology need to travel to where the books are and to where the folks are that have read all the books. With new technologies, such herculean efforts are less necessary when all that is envisioned is information transfer.