And we thought robots were the work of Spielberg only

In my class for Winter Term, we are learning about the future of the Internet and what is to come of it in the next few decades. Call me a big nerd, but this stuff is actually fascinating. For years, we've watched movies with robots taking over the world or humans who carry an all-in-one media box in years ahead. Now, that future is rapidly approaching. I remember when I was probably about five sitting in the dining room watching my dad type his graduate school thesis on a typewriter. Just ten years ago, my family had a huge monitor computer in which I only used for checking email (which was courtesy of dial-up America Online) and games on the desktop.
Now as a person trying to go into the journalism world, I have been so immersed in what the Internet has to offer. It is allowing us to connect with people all over the world while at the same time concerning us over how private our information really is. Just last week, for example, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg explained that Facebook should have been made public in the first place, a statement coming after changes were made to the site to allow more public access of information late last year. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/186651/zuckerberg_comments_underscore_conflict_between_social_networking_and_privacy.html

Here are some interesting links of what's to come in the technological future:

2010 Consumer Electronics Show megatrends - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd-1Vwq_0z8

Sports Illustrated online magazine demo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntyXvLnxyXk

Apple iSlate iTablet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOViKGrmlWs <

Pretty crazy stuff! I think this convergence will be a good thing and a bad one. I think it will make the stream of information more up to date and acccessible. With information available anytime, anywhere, who knows if there will even be a need for the local news broadcast at 6:30. Sorry, Brian Williams :-( But with the already emerging trend seen in the "crackberry,"I think people may become information overloaded. They will become obsessed with their media devices and always being in the know. Employees at IMB have issued a quiet time Tuesday mornings every week where cell phones, e-mail and other media devices are not allowed to be used to combat this problem. I also worry about the outlandish but possibly true fact of robotics and virtual reality overtaking us. When everything is virtual, how will we know what is real and what isn't? Technology writer Mike Elgan talks about how the cell phone will be customized to know your personal schedule, tastes, interests etc. http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=B50BE49A-1A64-67EA-E4B7EB0C487C6710

Cool or creepy? Up to you to decide