The Rise of the Machines (WEEK 1 - COM 125)

The Beginning………

The 50s and 60s were arguably the golden ages for American in terms of economy and world power. Interestingly, as I’ve just found out, it is also hallmark of a vision that would result in one of man’s most needed and important discoveries, the internet.

Leading the historic development was J.C.R Lickliner aka Lick is considered by most as the founding father of the internet. He had an idea of an interactive “galatic network” in which communication and information sharing would be transmitted over a network via millions of computers like the world today.


J.C.R LICKLINDER


He began his ideas by helping DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) developed a system known as ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) in 1969 which provided a communication system for the military similar to that of the internet in terms of sharing information and communication. This development came about during the beginning of Sputnik 1 and the Cold war.

Before I forget, another important figure in the history of the internet is Vinton Gray Cerf. A graduate at Stanford University, he later became a professor at his alma mater and developed the TCP/IP protocols as you mentioned in class that formed the basis for the layers of different application and processes, something which I’m still a little confused about though.

Amidst the brilliance of The Net, there will at least be a clown who would claim to be part of this integral discovery in our lives. One such fool is Al Gore who in a 1999 CNN interview stated that he took the initiative in CREATING THE INTERNET; yes he meant that he INVENTED it. However, it is widely known now that his comical statement is flawed and he only actively promoted the usage of the Net.

The pride of America


For a start, Al Gore wasn’t even on the Congress when the APARNET and internet (1974) were formed. Gore was elected to Congress in 1976. Yes, Al Gore created the internet and I created Al Gore.

During the 1990s, the internet exploded in terms of popularity and development due to the web browser Mosaic (1993). However, two years before, the University of Minnesota became the first school to develop a simple system known as the Gopher to access files and information on campus, the equivalent of our own UB Learns. This started the trend for all universities to come equipped with an online system to serve the needs and benefits of their students.

The Gopher - mascot of the university of Minnesota

Another interesting fact is that as of 2004, only 13% (812 million) of the world's population are internet users and that Sweden is the country with the largest number of internet users (75%). Another noteworthy fact that surprised me is the fact that the internet is 35% English and 65% non-English. The graph below illustrates the growth of the internet and the percentage of English and non-English users.




Now and the Future…………

Before the first and second class, I had NO IDEA about Web 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 or even 4.0. I’ve never heard of it simply because I am an internet goof with poor knowledge on the technological aspects of this world. Indirectly, I am a technophobic.
Nevertheless, I’ve found out some interesting facts about Web 3.0 which is my concern now because you’ve mentioned that technology is somewhere in between Web 3.0 and 4.0.

In simple terms, Web 3.0 will be able to determine the meaning of the text and data and come up with connections that are related to the users. In this day and age, I would need to use the assistance of multiple searches before I can figure what movie to watch, where to watch it and where to have dinner after that. At least three different pages will be in use on my screen and let’s not forget the coordination between the movie and dinner timings that I would have to factor in. Tedious it is…..maybe.

In the near future, Web 3.0 will allow me to type, “I want to see a movie and then eat at a Spanish restaurant, what are my options?” Web 3.0 then locates the whereabouts of the various Spanish eateries and finds the most convenient location for a cinema thereafter. Additionally, if I choose to be more specific, by adding “thriller movie” into my search sentence, 3.0 would be able to sift out the desired genre of movies at the nearest cinema from the restaurant.

Even better, Web 3.0 acts like a personal assistant and it learns more about me and you after multiple search entries. It begins to be more personal providing increasingly accurate results tailored to the user based on past searches. The computer thus becomes an active participant in the search relying on conceptual meaning from us. I found an interesting and simple video that illustrates the purpose and benefits of the semantic web as shown below.



One day, you and I would simply have to key “Any suggestions for a romantic dinner?” to get options based on our previous dining choices. Shocking isn’t it? I won’t be surprised if computers begin conversing with us by Web 10.0. I hope I’ll be alive by then to be part of that era. What do you think?