In 1995, prophetic fifth graders predict Internet of the future

August 19, 2012|By Deborah Netburn

<p>Talk about waiting for a payoff: Back in 1995, a group of fifth graders led by a clearly visionary video teacher named Cindy Gaffney created a PSA to get kids on the Internet. Eighteen years later, it is finally going viral.</p><p>The video is kind of awkward and stilted, but its message is so ahead of its time, and prophetic, it's kind of mind-boggling.</p></div></div><div class="float" style="clear:both;height:1px;line-height:1px;"><img src="/images/pixel.gif" height="1" width="1" alt="" /></div><div id="mod-ctr-lt-in-top" class="mod-latarticlesadcpc mod-adcpc with-fourth-cpc"><script type="text/javascript"> var adSkipCounter = 0; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var loc = window.location.href + ""; var float = ""; google_hints = "video teacher internet culture house cats youtube";google_ad_client="pub-0227802054925200"; google_ad_output="js"; google_ad_channel="5212128158,8076373282,8321278795,8261105409"; google_ad_type="text"; google_image_size="300x250"; google_safe="high"; google_feedback="on"; google_max_num_ads="2"; google_skip="" + adSkipCounter + ""; google_adtest="off"; google_page_url=document.URL; function google_ad_request_done(ads) { if (ads.length == 0) { return; } // If no ads are returned then dont build the ad block if (ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { adSkipCounter += ads.length; } // Increment ad skip counter when cpc google_ad_request_done_internal(ads, "", "", "true", "medium_rectangle", "", "", "pgtp=article&pi=34&ci=33275298&cat=internet+%26+telecom&pe_id=33275298&tv=ap-LA12-G02&rna=pub-0227802054925200&rn=g&rnrci=5212128158&rnrcn=CMI-A-002&rncci=8076373282&rnccn=CMI-A-016&rnpci=&rnpcn=&rntci=&rntcn=&rnlci=8261105409&rnlcn=8261105409&rnp=c&rt=cpc&paidClick=1&placement_id=ctr-lt-in-top", "", "", "", "", "", "ap-LA12-G02", "Los Angeles Times Articles"); } //]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/google_ad_request.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script></div><div id="mod-a-body-after-first-para" class="mod-latarticlesarticletextwithadcpc mod-latarticlesarticletext mod-articletext"><p>"By the time we are in college, the Internet will be our telephone, television, shopping center and workplace," the kids say. </p><p>Then they explain all the cool things that can be done on the Internet in 1995.</p><p>"In less than an hour you can visit the planet Jupiter, take a tour of the Sistine Chapel, do research on the rain forest, get soccer scores for a team in Italy, chat with a friend in Australia and I even found a recipe for cat food cupcakes."</p><p>I mean, they even got cats in there!</p><p>The video was posted to YouTube in 2009 -- 14 years after it was created -- under the title "Prophetic 1995 Student Internet PSA." But up until Tuesday, the video had only collected about 1,000 views. Then it was suddenly discovered by a handful of Internet culture sites and now it has gone viral. The video has been seen close to 1 million times. </p><p>In an email to the Los Angeles Times, YouTube trends manager Kevin Allocca writes that while the video provides an interesting and funny look at our technological past, it also says something about what the Web is becoming now -- a vast library of our visual history.</p><p>"Tens of thousands of science and technology videos are currently uploaded to YouTube each day," he wrote. "How many of those will we find adorably retro in 17 years?"</p><p><strong>ALSO:</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-kitty-cams-20120807,0,4572660.story">Lightweight Kitty Cams reveal the secret life of house cats</a></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-doctor-mad-science-20120810,0,581767.story">Autistic boy's alter ego on YouTube: Meet Doctor Mad Science</a></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-camouflage-robot-20120817,0,308264.story">Robot inspired by invertebrates has amazing, squishy possibilities</a></p><p>Follow Deborah Netburn on <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/DeborahNetburn">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/109675776633752908527/posts">Google+</a></p></div><div id="mod-a-body-after-first-para-ad-cpc" class="mod-adcpc"> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var loc = window.location.href + ""; var float = ""; google_hints = "video teacher internet culture house cats youtube";google_ad_client="pub-0227802054925200"; 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