What Could Happen to the Internet in Future? Let's Predict...

This is my final Blog, and I have 3 predictions on the future of the internet in the next say 10 years.

As of today, we are not only able to shop, bank, meet, and work with people online, but also share what we are doing every single minute by updating our statuses on social networking sites such as the Facebook or Twitter.

Moreover, we are also able to read online books, listen to music online at places like Youtube.com, watch the latest movies or TV series on Baidu, Zshare, and so on, as well as sharing and airing our views on a certain hot issue through blogging on LiveJournal and rating our favorite content of the day.

However, as we do know, technology and the Internet will continue to develop and evolve and there is no stopping this. Right now, its perils are equal to its potential. The debate over ‘net neutrality’ is at a fever pitch. There is a tug-of-war going on between an ‘open web’ and a more governed form of the web (like the Apple-approved apps on the iPad/iPhone) that has more security but less freedom.

So, what does this mean for the evolution of the Internet? Here are my Predictions.



Prediction 1:
The Death of the Open Web-The Internet's vulnerability is due to the introduction of Internet-centric products like the IPad or Smartphones which are not easily modified by anyone except their vendors and their approved partners. Moreover, these new technologies tend to have a higher degree of reliability as compared to the Internet, because they do not allow unapproved third-party code (such as the kind that could be used to install a virus) to run on them. Therefore, the security risks of the Internet may potentially kill it.

Prediction 2:
Interactive Landscapes-For example, billboards that watch us shop will make targeted suggestions based on our ages, locations and past buying habits, and stores will effectively be turned inside out as dialogue and personalized interaction with customers begins outside the store.

In my view, I sincerely hope this would not happen, at least not in Singapore, because I would get the feeling as if the sales assistant of the store is tailing me and breathing down my neck...EEWW!! Furthermore, I cannot imagine myself being attended to by a holographic salesperson, it's just not natural.

Prediction 3:
Creation of Cyborgs-We might be capable enough in future to install the Internet directly into a person through a tiny micro-chip. For instance, a blind person could have a micro-chip surgically implanted into his or her eye that transmit a signal to the brain to form an image.


"Through technology, we hold the reins to our own revolution". The future of the Internet would be decided by our actions, choices and decisions.

Here is a little tidbit which I would love to share with you readers, its a joke about the future technologies which we could have in future XD

My Second Last Post: Searching through the Internet for New Games

My Com125 Blog posting is almost over, that's a great piece of news to me so I decided to slack a little, and do a write up on a particular game which I am currently crazy about, which of course I found on the Internet.

I am not sure if you heard about this game, but from what I know, it is a little old, and it is called Swords and Scandals 2. I chanced upon this game by accident; I was looking for Diner Dash, but this popped up in my search on Google so out of curiosity, I clicked on the link and ended up getting myself addicted to this, hahaha.

If you haven't got a clue what this game is about, I suggest you watch this clip from a match in the gladiator arena between your gladiator and your computer controlled gladiator.



As I was reading through the experiences of other players for this game to see what skills I have to upgrade to improve my gladiator's performance level for every tournament round(s) in which there would be a boss in-charge of that particular level; you would have to beat him if you want to advance to the next, but please note that each boss has a specialty (e.g. agility, strength, magicka, defence, etc.) and are stronger than the ones you faced before/in the previous round(s).

In the first few rounds, I was so frustrated due to my inability to overcome the First Tournament Head "John the Butcher" that I searched the entire web for cheat codes which could allow me to gain limitless points for upgrades. After searching for a short while, guess what? I found a site which guided players to install the "cheating system". Check out the link for more information

http://www.cheatbook.de/files/swordsandsandals2emperorsreign.htm


I truly appreciate what the Internet has given me-fast information, quick searches, free downloads and games, the list seems endless. The Internet has allowed me to enjoy a wide range free games without having to buy any of them, and because of all these benefits presented to me I can't deny the fact that I love the Internet. I sure hope it does not disappear in the near future.

Google TV VS Apple TV

Here is a video which compares the differences between the Apple TV and the Google TV and recommends the better of the two.



What I Think?
Indeed, I have to admit that comparing the two TVs is just like making a comparison between apples and oranges, because they are just too different. Despite so, I have to agree with the dude on Youtube and say that it really depends on what you want to do with your TV.

You would choose the Apple TV for sure if you want to get access to a variety of movies and TV Dramas, Youtube and Netflix for downloading as well as having music and videos stored in iTunes on your computer.

However, should you not want to rely on iTunes and want full web browsing capability through your TV set, Google TV would be the one you should be gunning for; it also allows access to thousands of movies, Netflix included.

But just in case if you want the best of both worlds, I would recommend that you get a new HD TV with built in Google TV, then an Apple TV device through one of the extra inputs on the back of the TV, and you will have the full panoply of home media services – music, movies and web browsing.

Internet and Journalism, can they actually co-exist?

Welcome to my 10th Blog entry which will discuss about the capability of the Internet and Traditional Journalism being able to co-exist with each other successfully.

The Internet, Web 2.0, the dawn of Citizen Journalism has created concerns for the Professional Journalistic Community. Some professional journalists are threatened by the fact that they have a higher chance of losing their jobs, and printing companies are afraid that they might be losing or running out of business due to the decrease in demand for printed news or newspapers.

Do watch this cartoon which highlighted the concerns and benefits of the new form of Journalism; this is being portrayed by two characters, the traditional newspaper and the computer. Its pretty funny, that's what I think.



What are Citizen Journalists?
Citizen Journalists are people like myself who post the latest news, our viewpoints, and encourage comments from people from all walks of life as long as they have access to the internet, on our blogs, etc.

Why Does the Pro-Journalism Community React the way they do?
Since the professional journalists were the ones who held the monopoly on international news, I can totally understand why they are not yet ready or willing to give some of their "written prowess" to the unprofessional citizen journalists/bloggers.

My View
However, I think that they are making too much of an issue of this revolution, because in days before the World Wide Web, I believe that as a pro-journalist, they were already integrating new technologies into their news-gathering techniques as time changes and technology advances; they should stop whining and adapt to this change.

For instance, previously news was recorded with a pen and paper by the journalist who was at the scene, then tape recorders emerge which helped a typical old-fashioned journalist to not miss out any important points for a particular story that he or she was covering, and so on. Today, news reporters/journalists still continue to utilize this piece of equipment.

My point is that the Internet is just another tool which pro-journalists can use to distribute unbiased, accurate and updated information at a much efficient and quicker rate to the citizens of their respective countries and contribute to the global "news pool".

Moreover, professional journalists come and go, newspaper companies are profit-motivated, so it should not be of any surprise if such journalists were fired or retrenched for not having good column ratings or not being able to get interesting news.



Beware of News Online of Citizen Journalists
Citizen Journalists/Bloggers tend to write their post/news from a very personal viewpoint which has a higher tendency to be biased as compared to the pro-journalists.

However, citizen journalists do allow other perspectives to surface which to be honest is not a bad thing, because it encourages readers to have a much more wider understanding and perhaps call for certain actions to be carried out to address "grievances". A good example would be the Foreign Workers issue in Singapore.

Conclusion
All in all, I feel that the Internet and Journalism can exist together, and that this revolution should be viewed in a more optimistic way.

Additional Information
This video shows varying viewpoints on the Journalism Revolution