In a few decades, I wonder what word will have came into being for the uber-net, the tying-of-everything in a global network? We already think of "information superhighway" as dated....do people still use "the web"? We use it now so often it's almost not distinct from the rest of our lives, though, and "the web" dates to a time when it was quite different -- when you had to sit down in front of a computer and it was a different world altogether in there.
i read some where that disc-stored books begin to deteriorate in 8 to 10 years whereas printed books can last hundreds if treated well... and the horror stories of the San Francisco and Paris libraries, where they threw away all or most of their beloved tomes in favor of computers, still send a chill down the old spine... i'm glad i'm not going to be around in another few years when total madness descends; at least i hope not... but maybe the dumbster will forestall me...
@ Stephen: I' think they'll probably just call any future 'Web' Google to save time explaining things. It's on the cusp of being ubiquitous and we're not far from the SF world where you could speak a question into empty air and 'the system' would provide an answer for you. Of course even when the Internet perfects itself people will still be using it to start arguments with strangers, play online games, watch cat videos, spy on people and view porn. Calling attention to the fact that it also allows them access to the entirety of the worlds knowledge will, naturally, seem weird and (possibly) flg you as someone to be watched closely.
@ mudpuddle: Another thing about disc storage is that you have to keep the readers capable of re-translating the electronic data into usable information. Imagine if you kept you're library on Betamax tapes and only went to retrieve the data 100 years later. Even if the tapes are in perfect condition how on earth do you read them?
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In a few decades, I wonder what word will have came into being for the uber-net, the tying-of-everything in a global network? We already think of "information superhighway" as dated....do people still use "the web"? We use it now so often it's almost not distinct from the rest of our lives, though, and "the web" dates to a time when it was quite different -- when you had to sit down in front of a computer and it was a different world altogether in there.
i read some where that disc-stored books begin to deteriorate in 8 to 10 years whereas printed books can last hundreds if treated well... and the horror stories of the San Francisco and Paris libraries, where they threw away all or most of their beloved tomes in favor of computers, still send a chill down the old spine... i'm glad i'm not going to be around in another few years when total madness descends; at least i hope not... but maybe the dumbster will forestall me...
@ Stephen: I' think they'll probably just call any future 'Web' Google to save time explaining things. It's on the cusp of being ubiquitous and we're not far from the SF world where you could speak a question into empty air and 'the system' would provide an answer for you. Of course even when the Internet perfects itself people will still be using it to start arguments with strangers, play online games, watch cat videos, spy on people and view porn. Calling attention to the fact that it also allows them access to the entirety of the worlds knowledge will, naturally, seem weird and (possibly) flg you as someone to be watched closely.
@ mudpuddle: Another thing about disc storage is that you have to keep the readers capable of re-translating the electronic data into usable information. Imagine if you kept you're library on Betamax tapes and only went to retrieve the data 100 years later. Even if the tapes are in perfect condition how on earth do you read them?
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