[Pmb (OP)]

I'd like to ask all of you what benefit the internet has been in your pursuits to learn and work in science. I'd also like to hear what the internet is lacking in this respect and what you'd like to see made available.

For example; it appears to me that most scientists don't want to be contacted or will respond to questions from people they don't know. Others are not that way. Would you like to find a way to contact and dicuss science with working scientists?

[Phractality]

With 100 million curious people out there, an extensive filter is needed to shield working scientists from devoting all their time to answering inane questions. Sites like this one help in that regard. When someone contributes a tough question, the answer filters down from above, and only a few really tough questions work their way up to the actual working scientists. I think this is an appropriate role for the internet.