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The Internet Of Things

Posted by Zonk on from the will-it-help-me-find-my-socks dept.

Roosta writes "BBC News has an article by Bradley Horowitz, responsible for novel technology development at search giant Yahoo, looking ahead to the 'internet of things'. He discusses the importance of the 'W4' problem, the four 'W's' being who, when, what and where, and how to bring together metadata to make the world a more searchable place. 'All entities - everything from the particular chair I am sitting on to objects like the Lincoln Memorial monument should have a unique digital identifier. As an example - let's start with people. I don't know if darren@yahoo.com is the same as darren@gmail.com. There is a problem of managing identity across the internet, so when I say Darren Waters I mean this person and all of the manifestations and representations and personas of that person. The ability to knit those together is a huge challenge and opportunity for us as an industry. That's what I mean by resolving people - I mean this person and not the likely thousands of other people who share your name.'"

16 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. The Internet Of Things by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    aka outside

  2. Spam attack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Great -- thanks for giving away my e-mail addresses. At least now I know who to credit for my new influx of spam.

    --Darren

  3. In the future by rollingrock · · Score: 2, Funny

    In the future we'll have numbers instead of names, and I'll be number 1!

    1. Re:In the future by deviantphil · · Score: 1, Funny

      In the future we'll have numbers instead of names, and I'll be number 1!

      Don't you mean.....42?

  4. Will it be called... by niceone · · Score: 3, Funny

    Will it be called the World Wide Who, When, What and Where Web? WWWWWWW is quite catchy I think.

    --
    ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
    1. Re:Will it be called... by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 2, Funny
      W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-hat? Q-q-q-q-q-q-q-q-q-q-uit m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-ak-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-ing f-f-f-f-f-f-f-un of-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-y stu-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-er!

      Your comment violated the "postercomment" compression filter. Try less whitespace and/or less repetition. Comment aborted.
      --
      This guy's the limit!
  5. The future is here... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    And you're number 653,505.

  6. groceries by another_fanboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    FTA: I am in a supermarket and I pick up a can of tomatoes and I place it in the shopping trolley. Immediately my mobile phone flashes green to indicate to me that it is a good buy. I go down the aisle and choose a bottle of wine but this time my phone flashes red to suggest I reconsider.

    Great. Now I have to get permission from my phone to go grocery shopping.

    1. Re:groceries by AutopsyReport · · Score: 2, Funny

      That nagging phone is just a tiny version of my wife. But I will openly embrace this future because at least the phone has a mute option.

      --

      For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.

    2. Re:groceries by autophile · · Score: 2, Funny

      Great. Now I have to get permission from my phone to go grocery shopping.

      The only phone even close to such a capability is the iPhone. And I would do anything my iPhone tells me to do!

      --Rob

      --
      Towards the Singularity.
  7. Re:you forgot the 5th "w" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...why does my inanimate chair need an IPv6 address? So they can track your ass.
  8. W4? by sootman · · Score: 3, Funny

    "...the four 'W's' being who, when, what and where, and how..."

    For very large values of 4.

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  9. Re:Revelation 13:16-17 by Bastard+of+Subhumani · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who knew it would be an IPv666 address?
    Fixed.
    --
    Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.
  10. Bussinesses will buy this... by vigmeister · · Score: 2, Funny

    so that all information on the internet about a person is available at one convenient location. This will prevent employees from wasting time googling their own name...
    Cheers!

    --
    Atheist: Buddhist in a Prius
  11. "Visit my site!" by Atario · · Score: 2, Funny

    "It's at doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo dot mysite dot com."

    I think your proposal would cause the stock price of the word "septuple" to skyrocket.

    --
    "A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
  12. Re:I like my privacy, so please, no email ID by GileadGreene · · Score: 2, Funny

    People are sheep. They can be led around like cattle...
    So some kind of hybrid mutant livestock then?