The World Wide Computer, Monopolies and Control

Ian Lamont writes "Nick Carr has generated a lot of discussion following his recent comments about the IT department fading away, but there are several other points he is trying to make about the rise of utility computing. He believes that the Web has evolved into a massive, programmable computer (the "World Wide Computer") that essentially lets any person or organization customize it to meet their needs. This relates to another trend he sees — a shift toward centralization. Carr draws interesting parallels to the rise of electricity suppliers during the Industrial Revolution. He says in a book excerpt printed on his blog that while decentralized technologies — the PC, Internet, etc. — can empower individuals, institutions have proven to be quite skilled at reestablishing control. 'Even though the Internet still has no center, technically speaking, control can now be wielded, through software code, from anywhere. What's different, in comparison to the physical world, is that acts of control become harder to detect and those wielding control more difficult to discern.'"

Re:yea

[kcbanner]

...and so it begins. Not on the frontiers of outer space, not launched from Mars during the night...but here, on Slashdot. They have found how to infiltrate our minds and compel us to respond, waste our mod points, and upset the balance of society itself.

World Wide Computer

[gringer]

Otherwise known as a botnet

world wide computer, eh?

[swschrad]

10 stop war
20 fix domestic problems
30 printf "Woo!"
40 goto 10

hmm, doesn't seem to be working. hairbrained theory, anyway.

it would probably take 80kb to do that in visual C.

Re:yea

[smittyoneeach]

Pardon, but for those of us just a little behind the power curve, which new overlords were these, that me way properly welcome them?

Re:big server farms, thin clients at home

[PPH]

And then some enterprising guys, working in their own garage, will develop a machine that you can own, can program yourself and mantain complete control over.

It will be the 1970s all over again (except without disco).

I for one

[circletimessquare]

welcome our subversive effusive control asserting paradigm shifting overlords

Half-joking. Half.

[Eco-Mono]

And where's Alderaan now, pray tell?

Uh, yeah.

[MadMorf]

This is the same kind of abstract extrapolation that predicted we'd all be riding around in flying cars.

So, the real question is...

Where the fuck is my flying car?

Re:All Control-G's are now Taco Bell

[Anonymous Coward]

The entire world combined, is less intelligent than the average person.

While you may have a hard time convincing one person that the overproduction of popcorn is causing tsunamis stronger than ever before, you would find it surprisingly easier for a group of 10 people to convince 1 person of the same "fact".

Re:Half-joking. Half.

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

It's where baby Leia is growing up. Even I know that, and I've only seen the first three films!

Why, is something bad going to happen in episode IV?