Set up in the U.S. in 1969 primarily to link military computers, the internet has evolved into a crucial tool for business and recreation. A universal information database had been dreamt of since the late 1940s, where not only would data be accessible to people around the world, but would also “easily link to other pieces of information, so that only the most important data would be quickly found by a user”. This became a reality in 1989 when Tim Berners-Lee devised the World Wide Web. By 1996, over 40 million people were connected to the internet and, as 1999 comes to an end, e-commerce is booming. As for the 21st century, within a very few years new protocols will let computers, handheld devices, mobile phones, TVs and other household appliances talk to each other. Soon the refrigerator in your networked home will automatically re-order food you have consumed and car keys will e-mail you to tell you where you left them…