Vint Cerf Optimistic About Internet's Future, Continued Innovation

Anti-Globalism takes us to The Observer for an article by Vint Cerf on how far the internet has come, and how much can still be accomplished through its development. Cerf says, "We're nearing the tipping point for mobile computing to deliver timely, geographically and socially relevant information. Researchers in Japan recently proposed using data from vehicles' windscreen wipers and embedded GPS receivers to track the movement of weather systems through towns and cities with a precision never before possible. It may seem academic, but understanding the way severe weather, such as a typhoon, moves through a city could save lives. Further exploration can shed light on demographic, intellectual and epidemiological phenomena, to name just a few areas."

Comments

Always bet against techno utopians

[Anonymous Coward]

People change technology. Technology does not change people.

Sounds like the same lambs being lead to bubbly slaughter after they read something in Wired that is going to transform the world. They just lose their money.

All these supposed benefits of ubiqituous monitoring will pale in comparison to the big brother aspects.

These gps systems will be automatically issuing speeding tickets before they save a sinlge life in a storm.

Monitoring "intellectual phenomena" will be used to track political opponents before it scheds light on the human condition.

Monitoring "epidemiological phenomena" will mean constant drug testing or social engineering of every individual before tracking a real communicable disease.

Quality vs. qantity

[BitterOldGUy]

I have no doubts that its social repercussions will take decades to be fully understood, but it has already done much to benefit the world. It has provided access to information on a scale never before imaginable, lowered the barriers to creative expression, challenged old business models and enabled new ones.

Is it just me or does the quality of the content seam to be spiraling down?

Whenever I do a Google search on anything, I find that I have to wade through pages of garbage, redundant pages and downright copies, advertisements, and pages authored by folks with very little, if any, knowledge of the subject. What is it that you engineers call it? Signal to noise ratio?

I think the next big web app is going to be a filter.

Re:Rain sensing has been done

[Wandering Wombat]

Of course. Trying an idea MORE than once, after nearly four decades of unprecedented technological advancement and innovation, has always proven a waste of time in the past.

Re:One side effect.

[bbagnall]

Cerf can be optimistic about future innovation with the Internet as long as we don't do something stupid like government regulated net-neutrality. That will only stifle innovation, as Bob Kahn and other Internet pioneers have pointed out. In other words, as long as Cerf ignores his own advice we will all be fine.

Bring back the old net

[thetoadwarrior]

When most people weren't on it and it was still cool.