Matt Welch links to this interesting and revealing article by Richard Bennett on the technology behind the internet, the history of failed protocols, and how the web got to be what it is now.

He doesn't dwell on it, but contained therein are all kinds of implications for the future of the net, stuff that I find interesting. I'm already of the opinion that the net needs a major overhaul, and I think that some of the formerly discarded protocols Bennett desribes could be useful in achieving that. I'm looking forward to it.