Ma.gnolia: Deryck Hodge's Bookmarks Tagged With "internet"

What I've Learned: Vint Cerf

deryck — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:59:27 PDT

Incredible. Absolutely amazing quotes from Vint Cerf in this piece from Esquire. He plays WoW with his son, gives Al Gore props for the Internet, offers his thoughts on Second Life, and then offers up my favorite quote from the last several months of online reading: "At the roots, people are still people." In the context of a discussion about the Internet, this is a powerful statement, and one anyone who spends much time online can readily agree with. The Internet, in the end, is just a reflection of the people it connects.

The Daily Grind: Is Second Life the internet of the future? - Massively

deryck — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:35:24 PST

I like this post and the questions it asks, but first things first... the Internet is the Internet is the Internet. Second Life won't be the new Internet anymore than the Web was the new Internet when it took hold. Pipes are pipes and what chugs through them is something else entirely. Now to the larger point, that Second Life and 3D worlds are following a pattern similar to the emergence of the Web in the early '90s -- yup, completely agree. And for the final question -- "Is Second Life the Amazon and Google of 3D internet, or is it the Netscape?" This is where the comparison breaks done, IMHO. Second Life is offering up all of these; it is the browser, the server, and content. It is a platform, like the LAMP stack and the Web browser all in one. Where it goes from here is new, uncharted territory, and beyond general statements that this could be the future of our experience of the Internet, I'd be cautious about predictions.

Metaplace - Debunking the 3D Web

deryck — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:37:06 PST

A developer at Metaplace goes over the reasons he disagrees with the idea that 3D virtual places will replace 2D Web pages. While I agree with the general (and excellent point) that each format lends itself well to certain activities, I think the lead point that the future of "integration between virtual worlds with the web" will not "involve browsing aisles in a virtual bookstore" is missing the mark a bit. Mainly, his point is based on how 3D spaces and 2D pages work today. I think it's quite possible that 3D spaces could consume the 2D Web so that you can do either or both from your avatar. So you could *just* browse the web in a virtual world, or also connect with users over something you found online. Will the 2D web be replaced? Not as some predict, but it will be transformed and maybe even incorporated into 3D spaces. Maybe your browser becomes the 3D client -- which I think is partially his point -- or maybe we end up with some mixture of the two in the end. But I think it's naive to say the web won't go anywhere just because it works so well today.

Spies' Battleground Turns Virtual

deryck — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:08:23 PST

If there was ever a sign that virtual worlds are the emerging next version of the Web, this article confirms it: "U.S. intelligence officials are cautioning that popular Internet services that enable computer users to adopt cartoon-like personas in three-dimensional online spaces also are creating security vulnerabilities by opening novel ways for terrorists and criminals to move money, organize and conduct ..." Paranoia that the internets are enabling and promoting criminal activities is nothing new. People eat this stuff up, too, as if technology makes people bad, as if we were all farming in 16th century western Europe the world would be a better and safer place.