It's not easy to cook up fresh content about the Internet anymore. In an attempt to satisfy the high demand, media outlets increasingly put together flimsy offerings. However, Oregon Public Broadcasting's three-part, three-hour documentary Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet will sate newbies and Neanderthals alike.
In this second series - the first covered the development of the computer industry - writers Robert X. Cringely, John Gau, and Stephen Segaller do a great job of letting the Net's quirkiness come through, even with predictable segment titles like "Wiring the World" and "Connecting the Suits." For starters, take this trivia quiz: What do the names 3Com and Sun stand for? Nerds 2.0.1 serves up these and other questions. (Answers: Computer Communication Compatibility and Stanford University Network.)
The program also digs up some fascinating industry background. Investigating the tensions behind Cisco Systems' humble beginnings, for example, Cringely and company interview formerly wed Cisco founders Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner, as well Don Valentine, the venture capitalist who funded the company and ultimately fired Lerner. Things get interesting as romance intersects with the long-running feud between Silicon Valley's idealism and capitalism's bottom line: Mix it all together, simmer for almost 10 years, toss in an earthquake scene, top it off with Bosack's philosophical waxings about extraterrestrial life, and it makes The X-Files seem like fiction!
Nerds 2.0.1 is not without its flaws. For one, an annoying graphic pops up periodically that shows the number of Internet hosts that existed during one year or another - irritating not only because the Net's growth is old news, but also because it's virtually impossible to remember the previous number whenever a new one appears. Also, host Cringely is sure to make some marketing-averse nerds, um, cringe when he defines URL by writing out www.cringely.com. The site doesn't exist, but you still end up wondering why a more ego-free address wasn't chosen. Perhaps most grating for true geeks is Cringely's statement that the slashes following http: are "back slashes." Try typing http:\\ in front of anything and see how far you get.
These are small problems, however, and Nerds 2.0.1 is a great resource for those who either already speak or want to speak the nova lingua franca.
Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet: airs November 25 on PBS stations. Public Broadcasting System: on the Web at www.pbs.org/nerds201/.
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