Tuesday 14 December 2010

The "internet of things": The internet of hype | The Economist

The "internet of things": The internet of hype | The Economist:
The Economist



"MANAGEMENT gurus are always discovering the next big thing (and source of income). Last year it was emerging markets and 'frugal innovation'. This year it is 'the internet of things', or, as it has rapidly become 'the internet of everything'."

"The internet of everything will help solve two of the biggest problems facing the world: energy and health care. Buildings currently waste more energy than they use effectively. We will be able to cut this waste down to almost nothing. Health care is currently delivered in lumps: we visit the doctor a couple of times a year at most, and get our blood pressure checked every now and again. The internet of everything will allow us to monitor our bodily functionings all the time. A few sensors discreetly attached to the body will keep you constantly informed about how your vital functions are doing. It will also help us to keep ourselves healthy. Pill bottles will tell us when to take our medicines; wine glasses will be able to tell us when we have had enough to drink; sugar bowls will warn us about our sugar intake."


Though the article itself in the Economist contains nothing new, and in the end is corrupted by the simplistic black/white thinking the Economist staff seem stuck in (asking would the Internet be bottom up like the West of top down like China, a question that both misunderstands the West and China along with the Internet) it does mark Web 3.0 being serious enough for the crusty old Economist magazine to care.

Given the Economists recent score card on predictions (Iraq war would be easy and good for Iraq and the west, credit crunch would help western economies, Bush would make peace in the middle east in his last term) the fact that they are not excited about Web 3.0 is probably a good sign.

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