One of the best $25 million in defense spending ever.
As http://cis471.blogspot.com/2012/08/seeding-internet-cost-gov... lays out, the government spent $25 million on ARPAnet, the first packet switched network and the granddaddy of our current Internet. So it was actually the same figure as this grant. (There were followup investments from the government, but the whole thing was around $125 million.)
Yet I can use writing to send a letter to someone so that they try to hurt you with a breaking wheel, if you get what I mean ;-)
The internet is great, how we use it may not be.
I don't have twitter, rarely delve into comment on most news sites and Youtube. Browse and sometime comment on Reddit and here. I prefer here, less shouty.
When you are able to talk to thousands or millions of people without having to have connections, its a wonderful thing. The friction arises from a number of things; contrarians who love to argue, trolls, governments/companies who are trying to influence opinion but also people who have a genuine different opinion and are unwilling to listen to the other side.
I did enjoy the internet more when it was younger but at the same time, there was a less diverse population on it then.