It snuck up on us. We really weren't thinking much about it in 1988 and '98. Now here it is again, knocking at our door — the issue, the choice, of whether Hawai'i should have another Constitutional Convention, a ConCon.

Are things different now, or will we decline it still again, for a third time. The jury is out on that.

You can say that it failed in 1988 and '98 for simple reasons of apathy, just as we routinely achieve one of the lowest turnout rates in the country on Election Day. The League of Women Voters, very influential on the issue, didn't support a ConCon the last time around because "there was too much passion."

But isn't passion a good thing? Isn't this country built on passion? Does Hawai'i want to avoid passion and tolerate apathy? Which, actually, do you think is more dangerous? All things being equal, I suppose we could expect the same result this year.

But are things really equal? In 1988 there was no Internet. In 1998, the Internet was for all practical purposes less than five years old and still finding its way. In 2008, we certainly do have the Internet, and I'm hoping that'll change the way we relate to the ConCon issue and, ultimately, government in general.

We have viral Web sites that store your preferences and everything about you.

We have polls and surveys that take your temperature, and chatrooms and forums and blogs that let you share your opinions, popular or not, without restraint. Anonymously, if you like, and with strangers. Except for some of the black box things Mr. Bush likes to do to break new records on his popularity, the First Amendment is alive and well on the Net.

And the Net is a natural for government. It's way beyond absentee ballots.

Some places are even confident enough to do e-voting at the polls. While the Internet can be used for less important things, we know now that it can be used as an empowering rendezvous for the hearts and minds of the people, the body politic. It's not only that government is finding the Net; more profoundly, the Net is finding government, and one day soon maybe we'll all be part of a new kind of political crucible — online empowerment.

Witness the "smart mob" phenomenon (see Howard Rheingold, "Smart Mobs"). A square in Eastern Europe is empty. Suddenly, thousands of people pour in, each holding an ice cream. They mill around and take digital photos of themselves in the crowd. A short time later, everyone suddenly leaves and the square is empty again.

What happened? No laws have been broken, but the authorities know a political statement has been made. This, through the power of instant messaging and cell phones. The future has revealed itself — the Net has spoken, and through the Net a new kind of political involvement, power and effect on government. Like blogging in China. Things have changed.

And it is only beginning. Let your imagination fly on the blogosphere's transformational possibilities. E-democracy is out there now and it is a low-hanging opportunity for Hawai'i. Just as these options are playing out elsewhere, there are those who are hoping we can play them out here, and show the world our stuff. At least in connection with the ConCon choice coming up this year.

Peter Kay, tech entrepreneur and chief geek on the "Your Computer Minute," has galvanized the geeks for government. He's created a site, using push-the-envelope community building software called Ning to "Discover, Discuss and Decide," offering an interactive gathering place for the conversation on ConCon. The site is not aligned with pro or con or with either party.

Feel the energy — www.hawaiiconcon.org.

It's about change. Peter and his friends, including former Congressman Ed Case and Rep. Della Au Belatti, are hoping this site will generate good conversation on ConCon, taking us out of our 30-year lockup on the subject. (Kay and Belatti were guests on last week's Hot Seat talking about the ConCon.) They know the unions don't want it, the Democrats and the Lege probably don't want it (as to be reflected in the LRB cost study), and that Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona wants it a lot (as to be reflected in the "Task Force" cost study). But www.hawaiiconcon.org is open to everyone and all views on the subject.

The geeks are in it for the civics. They want to make Hawai'i a reinvention laboratory and reach the electorate directly. Will this be the e-demo-cracy we've been waiting for? Not clear, but certainly the prospect of increased political awareness is already enhanced by this year's presidential race.

We'll know more as we watch the activity on the site and as we get closer to November. Maybe we'll look out one day and see thousands of people suddenly in the street (perhaps like the cyclist groups we've been reading about) with ice cream.

In this new column, ThinkTech will talk about tech, as a phenomenon and as a state of mind, just as we did on Hawaii Public Radio over the past six years. We will examine its role in industry, education, government and the global economy. We'll try to identify the sea changes and the risks and opportunities they present. We're delighted to have this voice in The Advertiser.