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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Machines and objects to overtake humans on the Internet: ITU Machines will take over from humans as the biggest users of the Internet in a brave new world of electronic sensors, smart homes, and tags that track users' movements and habits, the UN's telecommunications agency predicted. In a report entitled "Internet of Things", the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) outlined the expected next stage in the technological revolution where humans, electronic devices, inanimate objects and databases are linked by a radically transformed Internet. "It would seem that science fiction is slowly turning into science fact in an 'Internet of Things' based on ubiquitous network connectivity," the report said Thursday, saying objects would take on human characteristics thanks to technological innovation. "Today, in the 2000s, we are heading into a new era of ubiquity, where the 'users' of the Internet will be counted in billions and where humans may become the minority as generators and receivers of traffic," it added. Currently there are about 875 million Internet users worldwide, a number that may simply double if humans remain the primary users of the future. But experts are counting on tens of billions of human and inanimate "users" in future decades. They would be tied into an all pervasive network where there would be no need to power up a computer to connect -- "anytime, anywhere, by anyone and anything", the report said. Remote computer-controlled household appliances are already appearing, as well as prototype cars with collision-avoidance sensors. Mobile phones can be used as electronic train tickets while meat exports from Namibia or goods for US retail chain Wal-Mart are tagged with sensors to allow them to be tracked. The ITU's vision goes further, highlighting refrigerators that independently communicate with grocery stores, washing machines that communicate with clothing, implanted tags with medical equipment and vehicles with stationary or moving objects. Industrial products would also become increasingly "smart", gaining autonomy and the intelligence thanks to miniaturised but more powerful computing capacity. "Even particles and 'dust' might be tagged and networked", the ITU said. "In this way the virtual world would map the real world, given that everything in our physical environment would have its own identity (a passport of sorts) in virtual cyberpsace," the report forecast. The trend is being fuelled by a small number of technological developments, including miniature radio frequency RFID electronic tags that allow immediate identification and tracking, and new sensor technology, as well as smart devices and nanotechnology. While the report laid out economic opportunities, a huge expansion of the IT industry and innovation in a wide range of fields from health to entertainment, it also warned of a number of challenges, including privacy issues. Some of the applications envisaged for emerging RFID tags are to replace human ID documents, track consumer habits, or banknotes. The ITU said tighter linkages would be needed between those that create the technology and those that use it to cope with its forecast new world. "In a world increasingly mediated by technology, we must ensure that the human core of our activities remains untouched," the report concluded.
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Say hello to the Mark of the beast. Coming to a planet near you very soon.
Kind of like satan mimicking God
Over 2 years ago I worked for a small startup that had as a sideline a sensor camera that would e-mail snapshots of any detected movement. It was possible to get regular video also, but the still shots were a quality that would stand up in court.
Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war. – Donald Rumsfeld
Tags are readable at 69 feet without special equipment and much farther with special equipment. Here's a link: http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0511.html#1
Money problems do not come from a lack of money, but from living an excessive, unrealistic lifestyle
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