The Internet Will Never Be The Same Web We Used to Know
I was innocently reading Newsweek some time ago, and the authors listed the top 50 books it recommends for all to read. The list was full of classics, brand new titles, and a little bit of everything in between. At number 4 was The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google, by renowned Internet technology expert and writer, Nicholas Carr. The quickie synopsis grabbed my attention immediately and I purchased it at Barnes & Noble the very same day.
I began to read it, and could never put it down. What a deeply fascinating book. It traces the evolution of the Internet by comparing it to the development of electricity. Tremendous results ensue. Carr comes to the conclusion that our world is about to change technologically, and otherwise, in dramatic fashion as we speak. Some of the end results are very uplifting, but some are extremely frightening. The entire world is basing so much of what it does on the World Wide Web, maybe a little too much. And, it’s such a vulnerable system, that there are red flags flashing everywhere. Cyber-terrorism is but one of the scariest scenarios.
Carr gives his readers more than a lot to think about. The parallels he draws between Edison, his idolizing protege, George Insull (who goes on to split from him to form the alternating current delivery system and the centralized electric utility company we know today), Nikola Tesla, Bill Gates, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Steve Jobs and so many others are simply phenomenal. It appears most of what we do online will end up in the World Wide Computer Cloud, also known as “cloud computing,” whereby everything will be Web-based and the need for software will diminish and then evaporate pretty much altogether. But, not without many dangerous inherent risks, not the least of which is a loss of personal identity and privacy.
I don’t want to give away too much, but let me just say, you’ve got to read this book! It’s all about now, yesteryear, and particularly the future. And, it’s all about to change dramatically, as evidenced by what we are already seeing on a daily basis.
Grant Brad Gerver is an entrepreneur and creative consultant for Filibi, a classified and online coupon advertising site and home business. He’s also a YouTube Channel blues singer-songwriter and guitar player with The Buzzard Brothers. Additionally, Grant writes political humor, thousands of bumper stickers, and humorous movie reviews. He has also worked with various companies as a product-naming specialist. He’s a retired elementary school teacher and published children’s author who works in the health care field.