Nerve Center

By Peter West

The wet blanket of tropical air carries the threat of an off-shore hurricane as Michael Kint ushers a visitor into the converted church that serves as the headquarters of Vetrol Data Systems. Sitting behind a desk, lights blinking and wires curling and spiraling to the floor, IRENE sits patiently, waiting for rush hour on the information highway.

About 30 minutes after school lets out, the telephones start ringing, followed by the electronic squawk of modems, as students across Indian River County gear up to engage in electronic chat sessions. From the keyboards of their home computers, some tap out messages about schoolwork, some about boyfriends and girlfriends, and some just "lurk" and listen.

IRENE, or the Indian River Education Network, is an electronic bulletin board system that since 1992 has allowed students, teachers, and parents in this Atlantic coastal town to use their home computers to retrieve bus schedules, read the agendas of school board meetings, and collect class schedules...