An Idaho farm boy stepped off an airplane in Central American country of Belize (then colonial British Honduras) as one of first Peace Corps volunteers. He carried little more than clothes on his back and his prized possession - a tennis racquet.

There he met a Missouri school teacher, fell in love, got married, and 5 years later yours truly appeared on scene.

Fast-forward a little over 4 decades and see just how much Internet has impacted entire planet. ** Last week my family took a cruise for our summer vacation.

Since itinerary included Belize, my parents planned to take opportunity to renew friendships and show us their old haunts.

On surface it seemed simple enough, but as week progressed I realized just how much Internet permeates our lives, no matter which part of world we call home.

Once a day for entire week I checked my email onboard ship. Despite $.50 a minute cost to use their satellite connection, it never ceased to amaze me that I could instantly communicate with business associates via email from middle of ocean.

But most amazing thing happened when my father got an email onboard ship from one of his old friends, who also happens to be first Prime Minister of Belize, Mr. George Price.

Before we left on our trip, my dad let Mr. Price's office know he would visit country briefly and wondered if we could stop by for a few minutes just to say hello.

You can always read a book, listen to a tape, or watch a video to learn how to do something, but, in end, learning from a live teacher who can answer your questions on spot works best.

Until recently, Internet resembled a large "book" of electronic text and pictures where any extended "human" interactivity could only take place offline by tele- conference or in-person meetings.

Now, however, appearance of cheap "web casting" creates an inexpensive opportunity for mass interactive communication between people spread all over world.

"Web casting" (broadcasting through web) enables a presenter to transmit a live presentation over Internet to as many as 10,000 participants.

For most online events, participants only need an Internet connection through a standard phone line and audio speakers.

In post-9/11 era, people simply don't like to travel as frequently. The meal and hotel costs associated with attending seminars or other adult education events make it even harder to attract a full audience.

However, with web casting, you can pull together a large group of people from around world at a specific time on a given day, teach them something, and then let them all get back to their lives without traditional interruptions and expenses of travel.

Web casting enables you to literally present just about any type of information or educational material you want.