Net-Centric Computing Has Become Part

¶ … net-centric computing has become part of the fabric of both the professional and the home environment in most developed nations. Even areas that are not developed are often hooked into satellite phones, into Internet access, and are able with a few clicks to chronicle events that just a few years ago would have seemed almost magical. If we analyze the technological footprint of an average modern American, we find that the right computing application is no longer considered a luxury, but a clear necessity.

The morning begins with an alarm from a digital clock; likely programmed with the individual's favorite music or connected to their iPod or Phone in which the newest news, stock reports, and even music are already downloaded and waiting; not to mention the emails that have arrived overnight. Coffee and toast are likely controlled by computers, and certainly any destination is immediately programmed into the automobile's GPS system, taking the worry out of traffic pile ups and map reading. During this morning trip, Bluetooth technology allows the busy individual to communicate safely with any number of people -- professional or personal. Certainly, those with children are confident that between the identification chip installed in their pet and even child's backpack or clothing, they can locate their loved ones at any time of day or night. Each of these technological advances was unavailable prior to the late 1980s, but have become so commonplace that experts now estimate that cell phone penetration is now almost 95%, up from 34% in June of 2000 (CTIA Quick Facts, 2010).

The true point of this paradigm shift is not just the advances in computing; we now have accurate voice recognition software, optical character readers, and have revolutionized many industries simply with personal desktop computing power. It is, in fact, that the current population expects this technology and there are millions under the age of 25 that have never been in a world without cellphones or the Internet. Clearly, the world was ready for this idea of net-centric society, so much so that it continues to embrace the newest gadget and computing power at a rate that can only be called rabid.

Part 2 -- in 1988, Mark Weiser first coined the term 'pervasive computing' (Weiser, 1991). He argued that for a technology to be really ubiquitous it should be interlaced or embedded into the fabric of everyday life and should become completely indistinguishable and invisible from its background or surrounding. Thus, the main idea was to use omnipresent devices with computational power and communication abilities that function invisibly so that the computer systems minimize the demands on users and are, in fact, invisible to most users.

Indeed, many of the speculative and science-fiction shows of the 1960s-1980s show a world in which communication is at the touch of a button, meals are automatically prepared, artwork and music changed depending on the mood of the individual, etc. While the notion of pervasive computing in total is not yet a reality, it is certainly closer than we might think; both culturally and technologically. It seems that for society to be ready for technological advances they must be acculturated first -- which is likely what the media has done for over three decades now.