There's a lot being said about revolution these days. Although it's an overused term, it's possibly an under- statement to say that the Internet is about to revolutionize our world. No really. This time it's not just hype about a new-fangled software application.
Today's Internet addressing scheme, called IPv4, is based on '70s technology and will soon reach capacity at about 4.3 billion Web site addresses. That's more than a few bloggers out there.
The Internet is run on a protocol system. You use an IP (Internet Protocol) address every time you access the Net. It's basically your virtual fingerprint, like a calling card marking where you go. It's amazing that the Internet can keep track of such things. IPv4 is about to step aside on a world-wide scale to make way for IPv6.
With China leading the way, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) will be implemented over the next 2 years. As the global transmission standard, IPv6 will expand the capabilities of the Internet beyond what we can accurately describe at this time. By dramatically increasing the Net's functionality, the opportunities it will soon afford us will dwarf what we are able to currently accomplish.
Here's the exact data: IPv6 will be able to simultaneously manage a number of addresses equal to 34 followed by 27 zeros.
The new system will enable whole new ways to live and work. It can assign a unique Internet address to anything electronic or for that matter, otherwise. It can tie in sensors in our homes, vehicles, workplaces and even to our bodies. Sound like a prophesy being fulfilled? Yes, likely. And so it's not really a surprise that China will get there first.
Ah sweet armageton – as in i’m a gettin nervous buth then again, as someone said recently the net is neutral its how we use it that makes it good/bad…
I’ve been reading The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet by Freeman Dyson, Professor of Physics at Princeton University. He makes the following observation: “Technology only gives us tools. Human desires and institutions decide how we use them.”
Technology is considered neutral and can be used for either good or evil.
But the Net is an application (or use) of the tool of technology. The Internet’s neutrality is already questionable and is undergoing a series of pushes and pulls as it evolves – where, when and how and who gets to use it. Not only are there monopolies with access to potentially dominating the Net, there still exists an obvious digital divide amongst governments with technological power and those without it.
Our call (and I know you’re in on this, Paul) is to invade, harness and redeem it.
Yes, i’m all for in-filling and being incarnate on the net – I was at a deep church lecture last night and Prof Andrew Walker said –
“there are 2 dangers wikth the net – porn and religion” which made me laugh…
hopefully we’ll be less of a danger and more of a help