We had just installed Windows 95 on our 4-month-old computer, and the thrill of having a PC at home was still fresh. The computer came with a trial offer for Compuserve, a new service that, for the cost of a phone call to Binghamton, became our on-ramp to the Internet.

Every night, I’d come home from work to find Steve scrolling and typing in the eerie glow of the monitor. I didn’t get it at first. I did not understand the technology, so I could not imagine the possibilities. But Steve, who has appreciated the potential of technology ever since he was a toddler taking apart his first radio, could. He understood the scope of being able to "go" anywhere, even when the actual destinations were limited.

With him as my guide, I logged onto government and university websites, perused bulletin boards and signed up for listservs.

And then, somehow, while we were waiting for pages to load, the population of this new world exploded. Websites were developed, search engines were launched, fiber optics replaced copper wire — and suddenly here we are, just 10 years later, in a point-and-click world, where people are more connected than ever before, where you can (literally) type in www.fillintheblank.com — and end up somewhere.

It is an interesting crossroads, this world with kids who have never seen a record album — and senior citizens who remember when color film was invented. My generation has a unique vantage point. Like our counterparts 100 years ago who could remember life before the telephone, we are the last generation that will remember what the world was like before the World Wide Web.

The information revolution has changed the way most Americans work, play, learn and communicate. Even people who have never clicked a mouse have been affected. The same technology that allows us to be connected enables them to have 50 TV channels and gives doctors faster access to their medical records.

For me, being connected has become essential. As a freelance writer with clients and colleagues in other towns, I rely on fast connections. Sure, I could set up appointments and coordinate projects by phone, conduct interviews in person and turn in assignments by fax or FedEx. But it would be time-consuming and impractical. As a stay-at-home mom, I’m forced to work out of the 9-to-5 box. I need to be able to look up statistics or send detailed e-mails when the kids are in bed, the library is closed and nobody is at work.

For better and for worse, the information revolution has changed the world. Universal access to information and the ability to communicate instantly have huge implications when it comes to human rights. On the flip side, they have enabled the child porn industry to grow, helped terrorists strengthen their networks, and given rise to new possibilities in crime, from identity theft to corporate spying.

Now that these doors have been opened, we are facing challenges we could not have imagined 10 years ago. Today, everyone with a blog or a webcam can send their ideas or images out into cyberspace, where someone will inevitably come across them. Should they be able to do this? If not, where and how do we draw the line?

How do we balance access to information with the right to privacy? Is it possible to control the Internet, and who should control it? Consider the controversy over the Internet in China, where search engines Google and Yahoo have complied with censorship laws that block Internet users from accessing information on topics such as the Tiananmen Square massacre. As champions of free societies and open communication, do we have a moral obligation to reject China’s demands? Or is it better to give in with the hope that some access is better than none?

These questions are just the beginning. As my daughters grow up, new doors will open, and more gray areas will emerge. I can’t believe things will change as much in the next 10 years as they have in the past decade, but who am I to predict?

One thing’s for certain: When my grandchildren ask me about the "olden days," I’ll have a lot of amazing stories to tell.

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Lisa Miller is a freelance writer who lives in Oneonta. She can be reached at lisamiller44@hotmail.com.