Web 3.0 or The Semantic Web may very well be the 'next big thing.' This Markoff piece is well worth reading. I remember a talk many years ago given by Danny Hillis, (a genius IMHO) who was then the head of Disney's science and technology team for Disney World and the other park ventures.
When I read about the continued explosion of the Web and the enormous possibilities it offers for the enrichment of human life, I find myself in a quandary. I think about the threat posed to Western civilization by radical Islam. These RITs (Radical Islamic Terrorists) and RATs (Radical Arab Terrorists) would turn the world back to the Dark Ages and have targeted our civilization for destruction. Consequently, we must spend vast sums for our military, Homeland Security, intelligence etc., money that could otherwise be spent on education, research and economic betterment here at home.
Given the rapid rise of technology and prosperity in Asia, particularly China, and India, which spend far less proportionally of their GDP on defending against the RITs and RATs and the diminishing influence of the U.S. in the world, I think we may slowly lose our edge as technology leaders.
I would very much like to hear the world view of our leaders who we have recently elected. I'm tired of being harangued about political issues. Where are the statesmen and what do they believe? Will common sense prevail or will pandering be the order of the day?
"In its current state, the Web is often described as being in the Lego phase,
with all of its different parts capable of connecting to one another. Those who
envision the next phase, Web 3.0, see it as an era when machines will start to
do seemingly intelligent things.
Researchers and entrepreneurs say that while it is unlikely that there will be complete artificial-intelligence systems any time soon, if ever, the content of the Web is already growing more intelligent.
Smart Webcams watch for intruders, while Web-based e-mail programs recognize
dates and locations. Such programs, the researchers say, may signal the impending birth of Web 3.0.
Â?ItÂ?s a hot topic, and people havenÂ?t realized this spooky thing about how much they are depending on A.I.,Â? said W. Daniel Hillis, a veteran artificial-intelligence researcher who founded Metaweb Technologies here last year.
Like Radar Networks, Metaweb is still not publicly describing what its service or product will be, though the companyÂ?s Web site states that Metaweb intends to Â?build a better infrastructure for the Web.Â?
Â?It is pretty clear that human knowledge is out there and more exposed to machines than it ever was before,Â? Mr. Hillis said."
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