If, as Vint Cerf suggested this evening, the average number of readers of each blog is 1.1 people (the blogger and one of their buddies who looked at once) then let me say a big "Hello!" to that buddy of mine; I thought that you might like to hear about some of the truly cool things that Dr Cerf talked about at the Opening General Session.
Firstly I was awestruck to not only be in the same room as one of the founding fathers of the internet, but even more so when it transpired that he had met Majel Barrett, yup: we were in the presence of a man who has met the wife of the creator of Star Trek (that pleases me greatly in a Six Degrees.... sense). But then he went on to talk about the Interplanetary Internet and my joy was unconfined. Others have explained this far better than I can but suffice to say it is taking the internet into deep space and finding a way of linking up all of the space missions, one of the effects if which is that missions can be repurposed, e.g. a probe orbiting Mars in order to collect data on dust storms can receive new instructions and act as a relay station for a probe just about to leave the solar system.
A big "So what?" may result from some folk, but to anyone who wonders why the space programme deserves funding may need reminding that all of those technologies that were developed to explore space have resulted in huge advances in science and technology that have had massive benefits for those of us stuck down here on Earth, not least of which are pacemakers and breast cancer detection.
I have absolutely no doubt that the spin-off effects of the Interplanetary Internet will be beneficial for the Earth dwellers, not least us LIS practitioners, who like our information however it comes, just lots of it please, and maybe with some sprinkles on top!
Lastly, I was just delighted to see once again how today's scientists have been influenced from the beginning by science fiction, indeed two of my brothers are now scientists thanks to our early years being spent watching Kirk et al being beamed all over the galaxy; I'm really looking forward to hearing Greg Bear speak tomorrow at the IT, Eng and SciTech Open House (I'll make sure I stay awake to make it to 9pm!)
Live long and prosper.
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