Have you guys ever heard of Second Life? It was on a CSI NY episode, if you guys watch it. Beyond that, here's a basic summary. Essentially you create a virtual avatar--
You know what? Here:
Second Life - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
So there's that, but here's the point. A guy I work with is in the process of getting his doctorate in...well, Second Life. Okay, so that's not the actual name. The actual title is Learning Through Play. It's roughly in the field of education. As an example, he teaches a course, and his class meets twice a week in Second Life. They log in, meet somewhere, and go about their class.
So here's the actual point. According to him, within the next five years (he says less, but for sake of this post we'll say 5 years) the internet itself will become exactly like Second Life. What I mean by this is instead of pointing and clicking on a website, you will "teleport" to that website and then walk around and pick things off shelves, etc.
I found this surprising, so this is me putting it into perspective. The lines where we divide eras/gnerations of technology are arbitrary and convoluted at best. But again, bare with me. We, as a country, and just recently branching into what's labeled the 2nd generation of technology. Japan, on the other hand, has been at what's being labeled the 2.5th generation for 3-4 years. Why we're so behind is relatively simple, but I'm not going to get into that unless someone asks.
Opinions?
Before I forget, as to credentials. Our job is basically a Tech Magazine and website on a scale you haven't seen before. Day to day is spent finding, reading, picking out articles about technology, about breakthroughs. Technically we're in a Research Department.
Linear Mode
