There are probably more Internet books than you care to think about. Books on getting connected, how to find what you are looking for once you are connected, how to retrieve the information once you find it, yellow pages, business pages, guides to chat/games/money, etc. Get the idea?
January 8, 1997
Well, Planet Internet is an Internet book. However, it is not like all the other books. It does have an introduction to the Internet: how to use the basic tools to find what you are looking for and how to retrieve the information once you find it. The author explains the basics of newsgroups, Email, anonymous FTP, telnet, gopher, and finger. But, what sets Planet Internet apart from all the other Internet books are the places it guides you to.
Planet Internet's focus is on having fun: a guide to the Internet's pubs, curiosity shops, back alleys and exotic places. Those places you may not find on your daily journey through the Internet but the ones that might make your journey a little more enjoyable and fun. This is a guide to the recreational places on the Internet. These places may not be considered recreational to all readers but you will definitely find something to your liking.
Are you interested in rumors, erotic literature, heraldry, home brew, body piercing, flying saucers, or bagpipes? If so, there are places on the Internet for you and Planet Internet is the book to get you there. This book not only lists many places on the Internet to travel, it tells you how to get to each site and what is available there. Each topic lists the Internet address preceeded by an icon representing a gopher site, newsgroup, mailing list or anonymous FTP site. The author then describes, in a light and humorous way, what the places are about and why you might want to travel there. Every page of the book contains graphics representing the sorts of images that can be found on the Internet. Steve Rimmer even includes quotes from many of the mailing lists and newsgroups he discusses. This gives the reader a taste of what may await him at that particular site. Not all of the places mentioned in Planet Internet may appeal to you. But as the author explains to the reader: "If you don't like it, don't look at it". He does not apologize for some of the places and things on the Internet, noting that "the freedom of the Net will be refreshing to most of its users."
Steve Rimmer shows that even though the Internet was originally set up for academic and military research, the Internet is broadening its horizens and is no longer just a tool for business and research. It is a tool for adventure and fun with unlimited resources that is growing daily.
