The Digital Revolution goes on

Remember when the only way to access the internet was through a dial-up connection? Neither do we. It sounds awful though, doesn't it? You had to unplug your phone, sit through the horrific connection sounds, wait 10 minutes just for your homepage to download... Shudder. Sounds like an excerpt from a Stephen King novel.

Web 2.0 has spoiled us. For those who are a bit rusty on terminology, Web 2.0 is the term for the new horizon of possibilities that the internet now presents us with: secure information sharing, seemingly limitless communication possibilities, and the meteoric rise in popularity of social media.

For example: I now check my Twitter, Facebook, email(s), and blog every morning before I get out of bed. My iGoogle homepage gives me the weather, a list of the most recent blog updates that I follow, top news bulletins for the day, and even tells me the "joke of the day". I have a Google alert set for my name, Catch Your Limit, and a handful of my favorite bands, so I get any updates sent directly to my phone. And to top it all off, I can check and see what any of my 200+ friends are doing just by clicking a button.

It's a lot to take in. But believe it or not, some people are already looking ahead to Web 3.0. It seems a bit premature to me, but this link gives you the gist of the Web 3.0 experience. As futuristic and fanciful as it may sound, keep in mind that "Google" would've sounded pretty silly just 15 years ago.

Daniel Tosh, one of my favorite comedians (who I'm going to see perform this weekend actually) is going to be hosting a show on Comedy Central based on Web 2.0 and other new technologies called "Tosh.0" As a Tosh fan and a techie, needless to say, I'm pretty excited.

What can we look forward to for Web 4.0? My guess is that it's going to involve robots taking over the earth and making humans their slaves. I, for one, wouldn't mind staying with 2.0 for a while.

This week's listening recommendation is "1986" by Discover America