Comment Infinite Space (Score 1) 83
Being in the VR biz, it's a subject that gets thought of from time to time. A few observations
1) OK, the math geeks have weighed in, and I only solve big polys, I'm not a math geek. Comments on transfinite numbers are an effective technical containment for this conversation, so I accept those as givens.
2) The real interesting bit is the historical meaning of real estate (this is the web, go to altavista or wherever). A fundamental truth is that it is completely based on a finite nonrenewable (yes recirculating) supply. Web space is not infinite, but at the same time it is not finite the way physical real estate is finite. Hence when the web has pricing metaphors for space that mimic the real estate model things get interesting, theoretically, and very lucrative, commercially. It's the conflict between extensibility (the web) and non-extensibility (real estate). I think that the real real estate (hmm, real^2 estate?) will be real interesting when we have real companies like bechtel making new real estate, e.g. undersea living. Yes I agree this should be done in an intellegent fashion, I do have a son and therefore do care about issues that extend beyond my lifetime.
3) As far as infinite real estate for cool new sites, don't I wish. It would theoretically make anyones chance of site success much bigger. I think the deal is that as individuals or as cultures, we have only so many balls we can keep in the air at once. It's that old saw that people can keep seven things in their head at once with a .333 error bar on that number. So there is a finite and limited set of "major approved web destinations" for each user, group of users, culture of users, pool of all users. Hence as this becomes saturated, to enter that zone is to need to bump someone else out. Happily, the net is very dynamic, so this does happen on a pretty regular basis, but I would call the sets of web sites held in memory from individuals to the collective web community to be the most limited real estate on the web. I have found slashdot. I like slashdot. Someone I used to like is going to have to get bumped down to "the things I have references to but never directly remember"
1) OK, the math geeks have weighed in, and I only solve big polys, I'm not a math geek. Comments on transfinite numbers are an effective technical containment for this conversation, so I accept those as givens.
2) The real interesting bit is the historical meaning of real estate (this is the web, go to altavista or wherever). A fundamental truth is that it is completely based on a finite nonrenewable (yes recirculating) supply. Web space is not infinite, but at the same time it is not finite the way physical real estate is finite. Hence when the web has pricing metaphors for space that mimic the real estate model things get interesting, theoretically, and very lucrative, commercially. It's the conflict between extensibility (the web) and non-extensibility (real estate). I think that the real real estate (hmm, real^2 estate?) will be real interesting when we have real companies like bechtel making new real estate, e.g. undersea living. Yes I agree this should be done in an intellegent fashion, I do have a son and therefore do care about issues that extend beyond my lifetime.
3) As far as infinite real estate for cool new sites, don't I wish. It would theoretically make anyones chance of site success much bigger. I think the deal is that as individuals or as cultures, we have only so many balls we can keep in the air at once. It's that old saw that people can keep seven things in their head at once with a
