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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Is 2011 the year of "Being Digital"?


Back in the mid-1990's, Nicholas Negroponte authored a book entitled "Being Digital" in which he discussed some of the challenges we will face when "virtually unlimited" bandwidth becomes widely available.

One of the points he put forward was how should we utilise this bandwidth. He argued that it would be better for us humans to pursue the holographic path and develop 3D personas through which information would be delivered. He (correctly) predicted that mankind would not take this path (initially), but instead push for the simpler achievement of higher and higher levels of picture definition/resolution. His reasoning for this is that the human brain "creates" a lot of what we think we see. Providing it with fantastic visual detail may not necessarily deliver a superior picture in our minds. This is also true for hearing.

Instead, Negroponte proposed we deliver holographic 3D images, because that is what human beings are best suited to interact with.

IBM Predictions
A recent news article here, provides IBM's view on the emerging capabilities we should expect to see over the near future. Sadly, they have omitted one of my favourite emerging technologies - racetrack memory.

In one of their predictions they talk about is holographic communications - hence the reference to "Being Digital". I think this is a great step forward because we humans work better in 3D (we were designed to work that way!) There is also a lot of work in being able to "interact" with 3D holographic objects. Have a look at this video clip - it's early days, but what does this mean? Interacting with characters whilst "watching" a DVD? Actually feel an object that comes out of a movie?

I'm going to add more to this post, but I thought I'd get what I've done so far up for people to read.