week 1 - Introduction to internet

well, one of the things i learnt this week is about the beginnings of the internet..

1stly, the internet originated from some defense thing for the americans! so it basically started as a tool to keep them safe.. used by the army i think. but yes, thought it was classic that america invented the internet because it's all about freedom.. on the internet, you can do plenty of things that you may be restricted from in reality. eg. vent your frustrations via a blog.. or make new friends from across the world thru social net working sites.

another thing i learnt is that there are different 'versions' or 'types' of internet. there's web 1.0 which is basically a webpage that is a read-only, very passive type. in other words something that is one way, no interaction or communication except for maybe a simple feedback form. very HTML and javascript based.. like an informational web site! eg, my church website..

then there's web 2.0, 2nd generation of the internet, which uses syntax.. which is a programming thing that is actually a combination of symbols, and characters that creates the site. ( a little lost in the understanding here.. even though i researched more into it..) but yes. a lot of internet programming Jargon here. no worries. its simply a site where you can upload and maybe download stuff. whole lot of interaction, information sharing, collaborations, and really a more active and less limited platform where you can actually change the face of the site.

eg. this blog! hahahaa. or let me show you my personal reflection blog..

then last of all there's web 3.0 which is obviously the 3rd and predicted generation for the internet..known also as a semantic web.. where the computer itself can analyze, compute and compare data.. where it will become a world where machines and communicate with machines without human intervention (except maybe to fix the machines in times of breakdown...) but yes. sounds like a vision into the new vision but yet, not a very promising future.. (think iRobot...)

My views on these different generations are rather contradicting.. there is of course the numerous advantages of these different platforms and the advancements.. with web 3.0, it would be a lot less tedious to search for things that have been searched by other people before.. it would be a whole lot easier to search for information and to share videos and interact with people. it might be in fact so easy that it would evolve til our lives can be fully lived just by logging on to the net!

but then again, it's during the long and tedious searching of something that hone my skills and scanning, understanding, summarizing, and filtering a long article. it is when i slowly find for the video i want or music i want that i stumble across music (that may not be in the same category) that i happen to like!

i guess though there are plenty of perks with the web 2.0, and i love that we can interact and network and the global communication system isnt so 'global' anymore.. really, my friend in europe can be in the unit next to me, from the speed and way we communicate.... sometimes, the slow way filled with obstacles help mould and challenge (in a good way) the growth in me mentally.