"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message ...
"Dave Kearton" wrote in
message ...
"Michael Petukhov" wrote in message
|
| Disagree. If USSR would exist now Internet would be very well
| known and in use. There would be certainly some restrictions
| like those recently reported in China for instance which certainly
| cannot significantly stop free spread of information. Like
| a telephone for instance it is simply too important invention in order
| anyone can ignore or ban it. BTW telephone was pretty well known
| in USSR as well as all other telecommunication technologies
| known in the world. However there is irony indeed that internet (US
invention)
| kills US propaganda media by free disrtibution of true info and true
| foreign public opinions on US politics in US itself.
|
| Michael



Whats really funny is that Micheal has neglected to mention how
paranoid the Soviet authorities were about technology.

Which technology? USSR was number 1 or number 2 in almost all
technology areas with only possible exception of computers where it was
number 3 or 4.

Photocopiers and duplicating machines were rigidly
controlled and licensed lest people use them for publishing
counter revolutionary documents and the Fax machines
had them in a real tizzy since with the technology available
the authorities had a hard time listening in and intercepting
fax communications.

Well partly true. photocopiers and faxes were not available
in shops for general public. Although it was available
in offices. I am not aware of anyone who wanted to copy
"counter revolutionary documents" at any time. Maybe a very few
so called dissidents which were never more than 200-300 for
all USSR. general public did not cared about any such
documents then and now. I do remmeber that when we wanted
to have copy of Bulgakov novel "Master and Margarite"
possible but very difficult to find in a shop we (10 students)
just typed it and printed in an office printer. As for photocopiers
and faxes, I think it was not available in the shops
simply because at that time it was too big and expansive
mashines and given rather low incomes of population
there would no significant demand.




Indeed it was the explosion in the
numbers of fax machines that was made possible by
Gotbachev's reforms that made organising resistance to the
communist coup of 1991 possible.

Hm... After all these years we do not so sure there was a "coup"
and "organising resistance". The faxes were already in big
numbers since many privat and state companies certainly had ones
for ages.


In a real sense information technology was one of
the major factors that brought an end to the USSR.


I understand that television was different in the old USSR as well.


While we in the west would watch the television for entertainment - in the
USSR, the TV watches you.


The reality of TV in the old USSR was more prosaic. It was
just plain boring. There were few decent arts programmes and
some opera/ballet which were Ok but for the most part it was
incredibly dull. They were quite creative when it came to ensuring
that people only listened to 'approved' radio stations as I recall.
They made really cheap radios that had only presets that were
tuned to the frequencies of government approved stations.

partly true. Although it was less boring than western TV cud
(particularly in US), in my taste certainly. There was lost of
sports, many good movies and arts and very little politics. Most
people was interesting in mostly their personal lifes, and nobody
was affraid of their future. Anyone could walk at any place of a
town and at any time of day or night. Totally diffrent atmosphere
as it is now in many places. BTW in my house now anyone can watch
any western station for very little fee. And what? Yes no demand
whatsoever. I know because a cable company worker came to ask if
we would like to subscribe and complained nobody wanted and
they probably would have to disconnect all this rubbish.

Michael


Still most people preferred the news from BBC World Service.

No, BBC was not very popular due to its elevated stupidity.
I mean russian branch of BBC. English BBC radio was always
fine. Russian branch was populated mostly by old sick russian
clouns whose the anly advantage was they "selected freedom".
They are all still there and did not learn anything since
that time. Voice of America was indeed rather good and popular.

Michael


Keith