I have had a little time now to digest what David Warlick said the other night, and while I can see where he is coming from with his theory about 'railroad tracks' - railway lines to us, I can't fully agree with him on fundamental ' human nature' , i.e. humans need to have a path to follow. I understand that David is talking about branching out into new areas from the 'main line', and that there is a need for the main line.
If you look back historically in both the US and here in the UK, lines of communication have been essential in the setting up of 'new communities'
Here in Britain in the C19th it was our Victorian forebears who first with canals and then with rail opened up new and exciting areas of the country to the 'ordinary folk' on into the Edwardian era when the great seaside towns of the UK were opened up by rail - communities grow up along these lines of communication - and importantly then develop 'branch lines' from that point.
If you look to the 'Early Pioneers' and settlers of the western US - at first there were a few adventurers but they soon built up lines of communication, I guess culminating in the coming of the Railroad along which again new communities Towns and Cities grew.
In the new 'cyber web 2.0 age' there are the 'Early Pioneers' of which David is one, these adventurers have begun to lay down tracks along which 'The settlers' are gradually coming, slowly at first, but with increased pace. Once the settlers become comfortable with the technology ' in a community' and explore the possibilities they then begin the process of putting in the 'branch lines' - while a new group of adventurers are getting us ready for the next development - I personally can't help feeling historically that :
web1.0 was the horse and cart
web2.0 is the canal system
We still await web3.o 'The Railroad' ( Railway to us in UK)
Web4.0 Flight and beyond to space!!!!
In other words 'what goes around comes around'.
I hope that this makes some sense to you in your part of the web2.0 world - watch out for 'the train!!!'

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