DOCID: 4046925
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
measure become the thing itself instead of a means of discovery, understanding,and knowledge.
Like Tlön, the Internet, "is surely a labyrinth, but it is a labyrinth devised by men, a labyrinth destined to be deciphered by men." We must avoid getting lost in the labyrinth without a clew. My hope is that Untangling the Web will be something akin to Ariadne's clew.[1] so that as you unravel it, you can wind your way through the web while avoiding some of its dangers. Remember also that those who use the Internet to do harm, to spread fear, and to carry out crimes are like the mythical Minotaur who, as well as being the monster in the Minoan maze, was also its prisoner.
- ↑ Daedalus, the architect of the infamous labyrinth on Crete, purportedly gave King Minos' daughter Ariadne the clew, a ball of thread or yarn, to use to find a way out of the maze. Ariadne in turn gave the clew to Theseus, who slew the Minotaur and found his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus repaid Ariadne's kindness by leaving her on an island on their way back to Athens.
- ↑ "Minotaurus," WikiMedia Commons, <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/image:Minotaurus.gif> (6 February 2007). This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
3
