The venerable Warner Brothers antagonist Wile E. Coyote famously demonstrates a law of cartoon physics. He runs off a cliff, unaware of its ledge, and continues forward without falling. The Coyote defies gravity until he looks down and sees there’s nothing under him. His mental gears turn as he contemplates his predicament. Then: splat. Both the Internet and the PC are on a similar trajectory. They were designed by people who shared the same love of amateur tinkering as the enterprising Coyote. Both platforms were released unfinished, relying on their users to figure out what to do with them—and to deal with problems as they arose. This kind of.
