Invention of The Internet - Frank Filosa

Frank Filosa, seventy-seven years old now, lives with his nephew in his grandparent’s house. He lives in Glendale, California, and was born in New England, state of Vermont. His family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1960 and stayed here since. He was about thirty-four years old when he settled down in Los Angeles, California. Before he came to California, he once lived in Colorado and for a while in Utah. His parents had five boys and one girl, but all of them are gone except his two youngest brothers and his sister. When they were all young, they all had jobs. He worked in radio, as a film critic, and was producing documentaries; also he worked as a lowest at City Hall for the transportation industry. After awhile, he went into a business with a friend of his who’s a designer for custom furniture, but then in 1993, he retired. The technology and the creation of the Internet have caused great experience of his in the twentieth century.  

 

I’m Frank Filosa, I’m 77, I’ve lived in Glendale for 34 years. Originally I’m from New England but I have been in California since 1960. I was born in New England, Vermont state of Vermont. Ya, we had a house, my dad and mom had a nice house in wild of Vermont where I was raised. Well, when I moved from New England I came here to California. But that was after I went to college and than went into the Korean War. Than after that I went to Colorado and lived for a while in Utah, Colorado. Then when I came here in 1960, I was 30 years old and settled down here in California, Los Angeles. I went to Harvard University I was an English major, English literature. Well I think that there is continuity in higher education because they have certain basic curriculum requirements, but they try to adapt as the society changes, technology certainly has changed that. My parents had five boys and one girl, and all of them are gone except three of the girl, the two youngest boys and us.

I held several jobs before retirement. I was in radio at KTFKFM as a film critic in a theater critic. I was at KCET producing documentaries. Than for a while I was a lowest at City Hall for the Transportation Industry. Then I went into business with a friend who’s a designer for custom furniture. And than in 1993 I retired. Well I think it is technology, umm, technology has if its applied now refers to the Internet, computers and all of this very advanced wireless satellites and all of that. But if you really look at technology, if you go back between ninetieth and twentieth century when we began to have technological innovation like with Edison and electricity, the establishment what Bale and the telephone, the establishment of huge companies that spread throughout the country and eventually overseas. Technology refers to what Ford was doing when he established the Assembly Line or what AT&T was doing when they liberated the phone all across the country.

As we become more advanced in technology, we communicate better, we communicate with more people, and now it’s global. Uh, well Stalin believed that the United States industrial might of won the Second World War that is true and there is a lot of technology involved in that. Gorbachev, when he agreed with Ragan to have perestroika and a sensation of hostility over the Cold War, Gorbachev said it was technology that really changed things with in Russia to the point where communism could no longer prevail as a despotic rule from one source of power.

Communication to me is the most important thing that ever under lives the success of individuals in institutions. To me, communication is the most important element. I don’t care if your making cars, whatever your making whatever your selling whatever your doing if you cannot communicate it than your not going to be successful. The most successful people whether in business whether in arts or politics, journalism, novels, fiction/non-fiction all that are the best communicators. Bill Clinton was that way; Regan was that way, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Presidents that we remember were the greatest best communicators with the best ideas to communicate. So communication to me no matter what area you work in, be it industry, politics, fiction/non-fiction, radio, television, film, the best communicators are the most successful.

The Department of Defense started the Internet. That whole thing about Sputnik I was leaving in Colorado in 1954. What that did was scared the heck of everybody because they said here the Soviet Union, which is our communist enemy, is out distinguishing the United Stated in the technological development and we can’t stand for that because were better than they are in the technological sector.  It spread us really to get going and of course that led us to Apollo when two guys went around the earth and an whole sequence of umm. So its one of the great advances of the twentieth century and I think of any future century or any of past century.

Well I think it’s an advancing thing. Years ago when I was at KCET making documentaries, I said to my sister someday everybody will make their own movie. Everybody will have a camera and everybody will be his or her own producer. Well it’s happening because of the advance of technology. That’s happening and there putting it on the Internet of the various websites. Some of those kids, who have it on personally websites are being hired by major corporations. Paying them lots of money because they get tremendous number of people to watch and hit on there website. They’re moving from the aperture into professional sphere and what this does because of the advance of communication, the whole process of discovering talent is changing.

I think that, every young person if they want to advance in their career even if they don’t have the opportunity because the home situation is not good. The great thing for a young person is to be convinced that education is his wealth to the top of the heap, if he has, in his secret desire is to become something in a certain area of life and his personal situation at home or for some reason is holding him back he has to struggle to become educated and that will give him the doorway. Of course every person you ever listen whether it’s a poetition or a philosopher will tell you education is the key to your personal success, and inside of that concept, I think the computer is the key to a great education. Become very proficient on the computer. Even if you don’t own one go to the library, go to the school itself if they have it available. Learn the computer. Any office you work with in any business you work in will be computer censored the information. The communication will be passed through the computer. If you do not know the computer you’ll be out of the loop and if you are out of the loop you cannot succeed. That’s my advice.