This next category is Netlore, a relatively new subject in UL terms. Ever since skinny square-eyed nerds have been able to hack into top-secret military establishments or unleash a simple computer virus that has the capability to cripple half the world's economy, people are not only scared of this new technology, they are petrified, and who can blame them?

OK. So what has the Internet, James Bond and the space race got in common? They are all products of the cold war. It is hard to believe that the origins of the Internet started as a glimmer in the eyes of scientists' way back in the early 60's, and was first put into practice in 1969 when four US Universities were connected by ARPANET. The whole concept of the Internet was born from the US Government's fear of a nuclear attack by the Russians. If America did come under attack, there was a fear that the Government's communications network would be disabled and they would not be able to command their military. So in the case of such an emergency, the US government decided that information that needed to be sent to the military instantly by interconnecting certain positions across the country. Universities were the chosen positions and the Government funded the whole project.

In 1973 ARPANET had reached our shores, and connections between the University College in London and the Royal Radar Establishment in Norway was established. This was the first time that ARPANET had gone international.

Developments were continually made, and the massive boom of personal computers helped the growth of the Internet in the 1980's. With this new popularity came 'hackers', and a great concern over security and privacy arose. This worry was realised on Nov 1st 1988, when a program called 'Internet Worm' managed to disable 10% of the 60,000 Internet hosts.

The ARPANET was finally decommissioned in 1990, leading the way for a new and exiting project called the World Wide Web (WWW). Over the next few years saw the emergence of the first text based Web Sites and browsers. Major advances were made in the 1990's, helped by the creation of Gopher (the first point and click and menu way of navigation on the internet), Mosiac (the first browser), and the creation of HTML (Internet based language).

It is also important to mention that the origins of E-Mail were created by Ray Tomlinson way back in 1971, although this important discovery was hardly recognised at the time. So what was the first ever message sent from one computer to another I hear you ask? Well, it was probably 'QWERTYIOP', hardly the stuff for legend!

So there you have it, the Internet has emerged from the cold war with a military and research background, evolving into an 'information super highway' playing a major role in our everyday lives. But before the cyber world can start patting itself on the back it must realise that the silicon revolution has brought it's own dangers as baggage. Pornography is too easily accessible to kids and the Internet has acted as a springboard for the ever-increasing community of paedophiles. On-line banking and E-Commerce are most certainly the way forward, but the threat of security will always be its Achilles heel. The western world relies so heavily on this new technology that is possible for anyone with the means and knowledge to cripple governments and economies with a simple computer virus (e.g. The Love Letter). It is even possible for mass panic to be caused by clever hoaxes like the Goodtimes virus (NL6501), resulting in mass hysteria that any terrorist organisation would be proud of.

Fears and anxieties over modern technology have always been a favourite subject matter for folklorists to discuss, but the introduction of the Internet and E-Mails has forced in the new category Netlore. Netlore is folklore on speed. Instead of stories getting passed on by 'word of mouth' as in the traditional method they are spread through the use of E-Mail, reaching a global audience almost instantly. The Internet is the new medium for folklore, and this means that the term Netlore is not only used to describe the category, it is the name of this new medium for UL's.