Sure, that's one of the basic definitions of what the internet is: the intersection of information and communication. But sometimes a date shows up which truly embodies that intersection, well before the internet was dreamed up. And so it is with this month's column.

It was on this day, in 1844, that Samuel Morse sent his first telegraph message: What hath God wrought? It was, as all the history books tell us, the dawn of a new age of communication. And it was on this day, in 1911, that the New York Public Library first opened its doors to the public. The reports were that over 40,000 people entered the library on that first day, perusing a collection of more than a million books. This Day in History tells us that today,

the New York Public Library is visited and used annually by more than 10 million people, and there are currently 2.34 million cardholders, more than for any other library system in the nation.

And perhaps once again an explanation of this month's title is called for?

Go to: Only a pawn in their game