n years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach In years to do something like
that, and we did it for hundreds-of-millions and not billions. And it was
unbelievable in terms of scientific return, and bold in ideas. Who would
have thought of taking an airbag and bouncing fifty feet in the air. And
they did it to not only be less expensive, but to land in a very hostile place
on Mars. You know, if we landed in the equivalent of the Sahara desert
where it is nice and flat, that's challenging-- and there is no science. So
that's the kind of approach Iork's SoHo. As
publisher and editor, Collins' hours match those of big firm lawyers. ''I put
together an editorial product, what that content is, how it appears online.
Under normal circumstances I spend 50 percent of my time running the
offices, as opposed to working on content. It all adds up--from 10 to 16 hours a
day.''
With the number of subscribers increasing, the Transom plans to expand into
larger offices and to hire a full-time information broker to free up Collins'
time to run the business.
Collins already offers Transom subscribers full Internet access, including Web
pages, but he sees the future as an endless race to stay ahead. ''We are going to
have to change and evolve to keep up with the demands of changing
technology and the people using it. You cannot just throw information out
there and expect people to filter it. You have to help them do that before they
ask.''
Collins thinks his formula will succeed. As more and more people get
overwhelmed with the volume of information in cyberspace, he predicts they
will turn to services like his to hang their virtual hats, creating a growing
demand for information brokers.
Cybrarian
Picture cyberspace as a huge library--except the books aren't filed properly, the
card catalog has disappeared and entire collections remain hidden. This place
needs a librarian. Sue Feldman is a searcher and cybrarian for hire. Since 1981,
her small company, DataSearch, located near Cornell University in Ithaca,
N.Y., has specialized in helping people find what they want from the vast
deposits of information online.
Trained as a linguist and a librarian, Feldman started out by offering fast
turnaround on information. Compared with a traditional librarian, using her
computer Feldman could shorten the time it took to find documents for
clients. ''Our focus is finding information on computers, engineering and
general business issues,'' Feldman explains. ''We are getting into digital
libraries--helping to set them up with search engines and the right user
interface.''
Feldman is her own boss, hiring subcontractors to fit the needs of whatever
projects she has going. These projects can last anywhere from a day to one
year, and the bulk of her business comes from large companies. Unlike ''rip-
and-ship'' searchers that handle a large volume of individual requests for
information, Feldman's company tends to serve a small circle of clients that
keep coming back.
The Internet also speeds up communication between Feldman and her
clients. In 1981 information was sent to the client through the U.S. mail, as
were new requests for information. Today the turnaround takes hours by
electronic mail, permitting Feldman to stay in closer touch with both her
clients and collaborators. "With the Internet you can have a dialog going on,
getting a lot more feedback as the project is happening," Feldman says. ''What
we have is an ongoing electronic conference. The style is a lot more direct and
informal.''
As the number of electronic databases continues to grow, so too does the
number of professional searchers. Feldman is president of the Association of
Independent Information Professionals, a group she founded with 27 others
in 1987. Today the group has 600 members. Feldman estimates in all that
there are some 1,500 full-time searchers worldwide. ''The thing the best of us
do is to ask the right questions. We have a talent for framing questions and
seeing connections between information and people,'' Feldman explains.
''The information age is also the information deluge. People need us to filter
and wade through all that stuff, pulling out the nuggets and leaving the
garbage.''
by David S. Bennahum
