10 Day Contest for Futuristic Ideas about Fast Web Access

Hello debonosociety members! This is an invitation to join the Mozilla Ignite Challenge.

Mozilla is about building the web we want, together. That's what Firefox is about. That's what Mozilla Webmaker is about. And that's why I'm excited to tell you about the Mozilla Ignite Challenge, our partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF was a steward of the early internet long before there were ISPs, domain names, or even browsers.

Together, we're looking ahead to a world with gigabit speeds. Think about it: a typical home internet connection in the United States is about 5 megabits per second. Gigabit connectivity is two hundred times faster.

As we kick off this collaboration, we want your ideas: what kinds of wondrous, futuristic apps are only possible on the networks of the future? How might tomorrow's Web make people
happier, healthier and better informed?

We are looking for your very best ideas -- the stuff of dreams and science fiction.

Already, we've seen many amazing ideas in the Challenge. People are describing a world with no limits on how fast information can travel, where doctors and patients can connect across thousands of miles, and in which communities are re-wired for the better.

The web is a limitless source of public benefit -- and we can work together to keep it that way.

So, what's your idea?

Anyone can enter, and we're giving away $15,000 in awards for the best ideas. You don't have to be a technologist -- but you do have to submit your idea by August 23rd. Just take a few
minutes and share your "apps from the future" at:

www.mozillaignite.org

One of the best things about Mozilla is that we can all come together to advance our vision for what the Web should be. Hope you'll join in on our collaboration with NSF and help us
design (and build!) that future.

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Permalink Reply by Franis on August 14, 2012 at 8:59

That is a good point, Dennis. A faster speed for what purpose? So our robots can do all of our distasteful "work" for us humans, right? What will we be doing for ourselves then?
What will happen to our culture's sense of people's identity being what we get paid to work at?

Dennis R. Perrin wrote:
Hmmm. Is biggest best. Is fastest best. A cottage in the country with no internet, sounds idyllic. Slow. Slow. Slow. Ahh, that's better . .
The stuff of dreams: A future with no pressures from the internet.
The sharp-sighted hen clearly saw the grain on the other side of the wire, so clearly it died trying. The blurry visioned hen could not see clearly and wandered around in the wrong direction and then by chance found the grain. The clever quick scented dog goes into a hut and dives straight for the bowl of food. The dog with a slow brain wanders around a bit and eventually finds the food. On another occasion the sharp sighted dog and the blurry visioned dog are trapped inside the hut. The blurry visioned dog had seen a hole while wandering around on his first visit, and quickly escapes. The sharp sighted dog does not know about the escape hole. He was too busy with the obvious.

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Permalink Reply by Franis on August 19, 2012 at 8:16

Dennis, you're right that the internet substitutes for interaction for some people - it's deplorable and says something about the failings of our society.
I use the Internet for many interesting purposes, not necessarily connected to an extension of socializing or entertainment.

To be a better and more informed consumer,
for the lowdown on politics and as a source of news that I can interact with,
to school myself and research for various purposes
to learn a language, and interact with those who speak it who may not be anywhere near where I am located now
to take the first steps on any project that I might come up with doing,
to become inspired
to take the first steps on any project that I might imagine I want to do,
to find people who are doing what I can only imagine and use them as mentors and examples,

Of course, there are many more points on this list if you care to add to it... In fact, there are so many purposes and reasons to get on the Internet that it's tempting to spend ALL your time there! Sitting is bad for the body, so I can imagine that at some point we'll have to evolve a means to interface with the computer and type with our eyes that can be done while we're exercising and doing things that are more actively physical than sitting and staring at a screen.

Dennis writes: In many ways, for many people, the internet is only a diversion from much more important things. If it's not used sensibly, in the same way one needs to manage money sensibly, the internet becomes just another form of human infatuation, another addiction, or cheap entertainment. The successful interaction with the real world with real people, the learning and application of people skills needs to take priority.

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Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on August 15, 2012 at 22:41

Thanks for the link Frani,

I like to think of myself as creative but I don't know that I'm up for this: There is already a huge overcapacity in terms of speed, storage etc in computers: We are already making poor use of today's computing resources - making the internet 200 times faster isn't going to open up as many new possibilities as already exist today.

But maybe I'm just making excuses for not wanting to pile any more on my plate!

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Permalink Reply by Franis on August 19, 2012 at 8:04

I think of what enhanced speed in computers and storage space would mean to world-wide meeting places such as online virtual gaming sites like Second Life.

Enhanced computer abilities would make a difference in the size of sound and video files. I think of groups of people being able to meet virtually; now the systems can handle only a few video links at a time.

I imagine a situation where direct communication can be "taped," similar to the 1980s movie "Brainstorm" (which was the last Natalie Woods film.)

Imagine an era when everyday people, who do not have to work anymore, have the time to decide about revising laws and there is no need to employ a special congressperson or representative. On second thought, that might be a nightmare! ;o)

Where any project is crowd-sourced into fruition. You can always find your "troupe" who wants to work with you on whatever you want to do, no matter how rare or unusual it is.

I think of what that might mean for the ability to translate between languages virtually; to have the text of another language read to you "on the fly."

I think of how musicians, with enhanced speed and space, could play together no matter where in the world they were...

Oh, there was a spoof on Google about using body signals instead of a mouse - that would be COOL!