The future of the Internet

Seriously? Let me peer into my crystal ball and see what it says.

Of course, we will see the data transfer rates going up rather tremendously. But just what does that mean for the end user other than faster Internet surfing or downloading? With a larger bandwidth, real time communication becomes more real time with less skippy communications and better quality. Of course with this improvements in the telecommunications infrastructure, not only would home users benefit but those with 3G capable phones are able to enjoy these faster surfing speeds as well.

Honestly, I am at a lost about what to write about the future. The possibilities are so wide that I cannot even begin to comprehend them.

Social Networking

They say with the invention of the wide bodied passenger aircraft, the world has become a smaller place. Surely, the man who said this wasn’t counting on the emergence of the Internet.

Although one cannot achieve face to face communication for this to be really true, the internet has enabled people from all around the congregate at a virtual place and interact with one another, without any borders and boundaries. Of course, this is not a new concept. Electronic BBSs have been around since the late eighties, letting people communicate with others in a near real time fashion. As high speed internet started making its way to the man on the street, more and more kinds of social networking software and websites began to sprout up on the Internet.

mIRC, ICQ, MSN Messenger and Skype are all very good examples for networking software that have changed the landscape of the Internet since their inception.

mIRC was the first software that allowed people all over the world to talk to each other in chat rooms. The biggest draw was the fact that it used simple text and not fancy file types that would cause the user’s connection to slow down. ICQ was considered to be the first widely-used instant messenging program. Like IRC, it used text as well but what made it so different was the fact that one could add others onto contact lists and maintain contact at all times.

Microsoft’s own Messenger took IM to a whole new level in terms of market penetration, using their near monopoly in the operating system and browser sectors to help spread the use of their programme. Lastly, Skype is perhaps one of the revolutionary social netwokring programs. No longer would people be limited to using only text to communicate over the Internet or skippy video conferencing. Thanks to high speed Internet, real time voice communication was now possible. As the technology continues to be refined, one can expect Skype and VOIP to replace land lines in the new future.

Journalism and the Internet

Perhaps one of the many problems faced by many today is the deluge of news found on the Internet. News can come from any source, from the website of a newspaper with a two hundred year old history to a twelve year old boy living in Mongolia. Sure, some may claim that news should come from a wide range of sources but therein lies the problem. Who should be trusted and who should not be trusted?

I myself run a rather successful anime blog with several other friends, with many of my readers relying on us for news. We are considered by many to be rather credible. However, we do make one thing clear amongst ourselves. We do not post news that would create unrest or dissent from our readers, nor do we post news that cannot be verified. This is something many bloggers who are starting out forget. In order to make a name for themselves, they try to create some sort of sensational news, be it true or not, in an attempt to become famous.

With blogs have come the emergence of a new term, citizen journalism.  Blogs have enabled the everyday citizen to become their own reporter, without any restrictions. Many of them have succeeded, yes, like Mr Brown. However, a few bad eggs have sprouted up. The worst example of this is STOMP, something that should not exist in the first place. Sure, there are things that are nice. But most of things that come out , let me be frank, is utter crap. Like asking why a MINDEF staff car belonging to an officer is parked below his, asked by a supposed person who has finished NS. There is so much more I can name.

I am of the opinion, that even with a free press and speech, the role of the media is help the keep and stabilize social order, not to turn on it’s head, and things that appear on a news site should at least newsworthy.  And trying to exert your control over a community who does not give a damn who you are is a big no no.

Politics and the Internet

As with cybercrime, the Internet has given politcs a new medium from which to propogate from. A tech-savvy politician is almost garunteed a larger viewership if he or she makes use of the medium.

I guess most of us now by know how Barack Obama and his campaign’s use of  Internet to drive him towards the Democrat candicacy and ultimately, the Presidency of the United States of America.

Throughout the campaign, Obama has made use of social media to make himself known to the American people and the world. A Youtube channel for his campaign was specifcally set up to stream videos of his many speeches and TV advertisements, allowing those who were unable to catch them on broadcast television, at any time of the day and any part of the world. An elaborate website has setup to let him communicate with his many supporters as well. Views and opinions were garnered from peoples of all walks of life and blogs could be set up on his website to advocate support of Obama. He made use of Twitter to allow people to keep track of his campaign on the move, as well as setting up a Facebook account. Perhaps on one of his biggest coups in my opinion would be the announcement of his Vice President incumbent, Joe Bidan, over an SMS message and the usage of his first name to do so.

But what does all this mean for Obama? It sets him apart from his opponents in that by usage of the Internet, he is shown to be a President who is up date with the latest technology. He also gives the impression that he does make use of the Internet to keep up to date with what is happening all around the world. Obama also perhaps make use of the Internet to keep track of public opinion not just in America but all around the world as well. This gives him a rough idea of what exactly is it like out there and not something that is handed to him after being whitewashed.

Cybercrime

As the communication medium that has had the fastest penetration rate since it’s inception, it is no surprise that a few scrupulous individuals would take advantage of this to further their own means.

The first virus can be traced back to the early days of ARPAnet when a experimental self-replicating program was written to test if a program could be spread by itself. But before the days the Internet grew widespread, virus were usually contained on bootleg or shareware programs, usually on floppy discs or tapes. Now as more and more computers were connected via a telephone line, viruses now had a new to spread themselves. Most programs usually hitch on illegal programs or are hidden in the codes of cookies. Without a proper anti-Virus program like Mac Affee or Norton, it is not difficult for even a casual user of the Internet to easily infected. Most programmers create these malicious programs just because they can and for no other reason. They get no monetary rewards  other a perverse sense of satisfaction.

Of course, with computers being connected together, it is not common for people to actually see what others doing. These hackers, as they are called, take the time out to try and acccess another person’s computer for personal, private information which can be exploited. Some common methods include key logger programs which tracks what a person types on a certain website, like a person accessing their bank account over the Internet or logging in to a forum. These programs are usually dumped onto a person’s computer by being sneaked through or being left on computers in Internet cafes.

A fool is born is every minute, as the saying goes. People are always lured by easy money and fear is easily struck when money is involved. I am  sure most of us have received e-mails from a Nigerian claiming to be the relative of some late dictator and that they have recently have come to possess a large sum of money. They are unable to get the money out of the country and need your help to do so. They need your bank account  details to bounce the money to some other country and for your trouble, they will leave a small token. Giving any details other than your bank accoount number and branch number is a big no-no. God knows whatever they will do with the money inside, be the amount big or small.

Cybercrime will always be a problem as long as the Internet exsists. Perhaps the easiest way of preventing such things from occuring to you and those around you is to be aware of such trickery and not be fooled by them. A good anti-virus software and firewall is always a good idea to have at all times.

Microsoft Surface

The Surface is one of Microsoft’s latest innovations for the home, workplace and entertainment centres. By using a large LCD monitor placed on it’s back and the use of motion sensor technology, users can use their hands to interact with no just the monitor but also use whatever that can be recognised by the sensors with it.

For example, with the application of a magnetic field, instead of having to pass their credit card over the to the waiter and have him or her swipe at a card machine, all that needs to be done is to place the card on the Surface and the card can be read and the amount credited immediately, no fuss no muss. What makes the Surface also stand apart from conventional touch screen devices are that the whole touch sensation need not be so simple as to be just used for movement. The Surface can also detect gestures that are made by the hand with the proper software and this can be translated into pictures or words on the display surface. Another thing that makes it stand out from other devices are the fact that it is not limited to one user at a time but many people can be interacting with the surface at the same time. This allows the Surface to be used for rather fun party applications.

How I would implement the Surface in my own establishment is to use as a dining table for guests, after installing a tough enough cover over it, of course. In fact, it need not be used just in a dining room but in the waiting area as well. The Surface can be used to make orders for the food that the patrons wish to have and while they are waiting, they can choose whatever light entertainment they wish to have. By changing the display on the Surface, guests can customise the dining experience that they wish to have, like changing the colour of the ‘tablecloth’ or the light that the Surface produces.

The Surface need not be used plainly for these purposes. In the near future, the Surface can be used for industrial applications as well, replacing traditional touchscreen displays for a better experience for the workers.