Old theory and not so old technophile

This is an interesting encounter. Rheingold is a hero of the technorati and was one of the first people to theorize online communities. His first-person description of trying to talk to Habermas might be ossified professor syndrome, but he might be describing a genuine failur of imagination.

http://www.smartmobs.com/2007/11/05/habermas-blows-off-question-about-the-internet-and-the-public-sphere/