Timeline to WorldNet

I've started to seriously look ahead at technology and how it might change society.  This is a rough timeline...

2020 – The first “wearable computer” devices hit the market in the US and Japan.  Comprised of a small wireless PDA, Display Glasses and a pair of wrist bands that detect muscle movements while typing (allowing the user to mimic typing in the air without a keyboard) subscribers are able to use low-powered computers in any area with cell phone coverage.  Battery life is still an issue only lasting for a few hours before requiring recharge.

 

2030 – The typing wrist bands can be replaced with implanted chips, becoming one of the first Bio-Terminals available.  Typing now only requires slight movements.  With training even those paralyzed can be trained to use other nerve pulses to type.  However, wrist-bands are still common.  Small footprint computers weighing less than a pound are now powerful enough to run most entertainment software (games) as well as function as full featured computers.  Battery life doubles.

 

2035 – Ocular chip implants are widely used for the blind.  Vision is only 60’ and only a grainy black & white (-4 Spot), but can be used effectively in low-light.  These chips have an external interface connected to a pair of glasses that mount pin-hole cameras.  The external interface also allows other inputs directly to the optic nerves.  This becomes the 2^nd big leap in Bio-Terminals.  Suddenly the modified blind become invaluable in “Specialty Vision” careers.  Their optic nerves can be directly connected to security systems, 3D virtual worlds, electron microscopes, and another other device that outputs visual media.  These individuals use enhanced versions of the wearable computer that attach directly to their optical Bio-Terminals.

 

2065 – Ocular chip technology advances to full color and 120’.  Inside this range, “Chip Vision” is as good as 20/20 normal vision with enhancements for low-light and night vision (60’).  Display Glasses remain, but the chips can be placed inside the retina allowing for a normal appearance.  Real-time language translators are created.  Individuals of different nations can see subtitles to any single spoken language selected by the user.

 

2080 – The military begins to use ocular implants in soldiers.  Wearable computers are now completely devoid of wires (each element is powered separately) and the devices communicate with each other wirelessly.  Display Glasses have replaced monitors in most business applications.  Wireless coverage is global.  Implanted Bio-Typist chips become the norm at universities and in tech shops.

 

2090 – The first private ocular implants are used electively.  Primarily used by individuals with poor (but adequate) vision or for vanity (larger, prettier eyes) voluntary ocular implants are approved for use by the FDA.  Integration with communication devices is immediate.  Language translators now automatically translate text as well as spoken languages.

 

2120 – Ocular implants are common.  The Data Hood is developed.  This stylish piece of wearable technology acts a cell phone, video player, computer terminal, wireless network, day planner, advertising medium, radio/music player and fashion accessory.  The fabric of electronics drapes over the user’s head and shoulders like a coif or snood.  It can be used with Display Glasses or can be connected to Ocular Implants.  The “Internet” has evolved in to a complete 3D information network.  Virtual travel is a blooming industry.  Taste and scent implants are developed.  Some art galleries specialize in digital media where images are broadcast to viewers.  The physical picture frames are blank and the Display Glasses or visual implants of the observer fill in the artist’s work.  Conventions like TV sets, radios and voice-only phones completely disappear from modern society.

 

2125 – Virtual Reality applications advance to such a degree that individual real objects can be completely “wallpapered” with user selected visual textures and designs. A common fold-out table can be made to look like a rich oak antique of the same size and dimensions. Home décor industries are vastly affected switching from real techniques to digital. Tactile senses are not affected, however. A cold metal table still feels like metal even if it looks padded. Still the effects are powerful and popular. Keying information into your own personal computer (Data Hood) is now accomplished with a combination of eye movement and thought. However Bio-Typist chips remain common. Language software becomes perfected with real-time audio translation. Some common medications are automatically delivered to the blood stream through an individual personal computer via refillable cartridges. The military has been using this technique to boost the effectiveness of soldier secretly for years.



2127 – The first murder by VR is documented and prosecuted. Alan Kitchner is condemned to life in prison for the murder of his wife. A VR programmer/designer himself, Alan alters the programming of his wife’s data hood to conceal a broken balcony rail. Mrs. Kitchner falls to her death. Alan forgets to also disable his wife’s “Emergency Heart-Rate Trigger” that immediately summons medical and law enforcement when detecting a panic in the user. A standard process of the feature is an immediate diagnostic snapshot of the caller’s data set. The programming hack is detected and Alan is imprisoned. New VR safeties are demanded by the market. While partially effective, the only truly safe VR is no VR. Communication companies downplay the risks and profits continue to rise.



2150 – Wal-Mart Corp buys Taiwan. Immediately after the purchase Wal-Mart declares itself a sovereign nation. Employees are offered citizenship which ultimately removes them from the tax base of the countries in which they reside. This will start a trend for the next several decades. The advances in communication, virtual travel, video conferencing and tele-commuting now allow people to work for anyone in any country. Most new construction is generic and featureless allowing VR to fill in all the artistic details of a physical environment. The elite are cyber enhanced at young ages—while the poor fill in the few remaining service and manufacturing industries that still exist. Physical warfare is only useful in its ability to disrupt the digital economies of the Sovereign Corps or other nations. Digital warfare rages in the background. Cyber-terrorism takes new meaning as real deaths result from manipulations of VR and malicious alteration of medical treatments. These terrorist attacks are known as “wet hacking.” The WorldNet, now essential to world economy also contains many dark e-zones that deal in illegal software known as “ciphers.” Cipher is a generic term for any program that removes normal safeties on VR software to cause harm or mis-direction.

Title Deleted

I discovered this morning that many of the game sites I frequently visit from work were blocked.  ENworld, Blue Devil Games, rpol.net and I'm sure others, all hit the following message...

Forbidden:  You do not have permission to access this page.

CLIENT_IP: 10.119.4.82             DATE: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 13:46:48 GMT             CATEGORY: Computer Games

ERROR: Access denied due to authentication failure.

URL: http://www.enworld.org/                       

---

Internet Conduct:  Employees are expected to comply with the following rules of conduct while on the Internet.

• Do not violate any Sprint policy or guideline when accessing the Internet.

• Do not represent being affiliated with Sprint or as speaking on behalf of Sprint unless: (i) it is in the furtherance of job duties; and (ii) you have received the approval of a director-level or above individual within his or her department to do so.

• Do not transmit, post, display, print, forward, or otherwise disseminate material that is fraudulent, illegal, harassing, offensive, sexually explicit, obscene, threatening, infringing, defamatory or otherwise objectionable.

• Do not initiate or forward to others chain letters or other offensive messages.

• Do not engage in any activity or conduct which is contrary to the best interest of or disloyal to Sprint.

---

To read the entire “Acceptable Internet Use” policy please access Section 2.9 in the HR “Employee Resource Guide”.

If you feel the Internet site you are trying to access should be allowed or is needed for business reasons "Click Here" or type "helpdesk" (minus the quotes) in your web browser and click the link to create an online ticket.

What is especially funny about this is that no where in this policy does it say "computer game" sites are forbidden.  I guess some one in Corp Sec couldn't conceive why such a block might be demoralizing and thus negatively impact productivity.  I suppose they'll be searching my laptop bags for books next or maybe censuring what music I'm allowed to bring.



It's going to be a pretty funny day when we discover that, while we may be "free citizens" we are still slaves to the system of corporate dominance.  After all, you gotta eat.  You can't drop your family medical insurance.  You are a slave as sure as if you were chained to your desk.  You can chose masters, but it's still the same.  Someone else will chose when you get up, when you can work, when you can eat, when you can be sick, when you go home, whether your children will get medical coverage, whom you can chose to cover, and now... even when you can chose to think about something other than work.  Security of assets... controlling costs... maintain productivity... bottomline... money... money... money.  Go forth and generate wealth.  Waste no thoughts.

The politics of Celluar Technology

Since I'm heading out of town today to attend a conference on the future of data on CDMA networks, I thought I'd throw down some explanations of radio technology in layman terms.



When it comes to cell phone technology it boils down to this... The US is Red and the rest of the world is Blue.  Phones for the Red networks don't work on Blue networks and vice versa.  The Red and Blue networks both offer two basic services; Voice and Data. 



Voice is of course the original reason for Telephone Companies in the first place.  In the 90's we experience this little phenom called "the Internet" and suddenly Telephone Companies were suddenly interested in Data.  We all fondly remember the days of modems and dial-up.  Some of us are still living that dream... *cough* Then came digital access and then some fool decided that even wired digital access wasn't convenient enough and Telephone Companies delivered "wireless."



So back to Red and Blue networks... Wireless was a "Big Deal(tm)".  It was the greatest growth business for the Telephone Companies in a 100 years.  At the time it happened, Blue networks were established and Red networks were "experimental."  Europe went Blue and the US went Red.  Red worked better, but Blue was cheaper.  Countries often chose the cheaper techology.  Thus the world went Blue.  Just to clue you in, Red networks are CDMA and Blue networks are GSM.  Means a lot to you I'm sure.  Now this data thing... Blue networks did data right from the start--only no one cared at the time.  Red networks delivered data right when it mattered and it worked better than Blue.  However, since Blue had been technically doing data longer, Blue carriers had more kinks worked out.  You could use Data on anyones  Blue network.  This is called Data Roaming; much like Voice Roaming.  Now here's where the Red networks fell on their sword.  They didn't make their data work on other Red networks.  We're working on it.



The problem is now that Red is so popular (in the US and a few other places), there are a lot of Red carriers.  We all have to agree on changes if we all want to make money off you (the consumer).  All phone companies are big with too much money.  That makes them believe they are important.  Important people tend to want to dictate more than cooperate.  So that's where I'm going this week.  The Red network "lets all cooperate" shindig.  A 2 day festival of every CDMA carrier trying to be compatible while at the same time angling for a technical advantage over the other carriers.  The corporate expense budgets are going to flow...



Also worth mentioning in closing is the "Holy Grail" of this story.  Getting Red data users to work on Blue networks.  Technically we don't care about Blue subscribers... being a Red network and all.

A typical day in the life

8:30 AM        discussion with <vendor deleted> about pricing

10:00 AM      Review of two projects to be expedited

10:30 AM      (double booked with above) Traffic Filtering discussion

11:00 AM      Follow-up discussion with <vendor deleted> (competing with vener above)

1:00 PM         D2405 Project Status Meeting

2:00 PM         EVDO timer meeting



Okay... that's the scheduled meetings--about 6 hours worth.  Now I have 2 really hard hitting projects right now they are numbered D2405 and D0840.  D2405 is huge, like mega-huge.  It involved setting up a new IP data service between Sprint and all other carriers.  The number of possible combinations is large and each possible combination has to be documented in detail with network diagrams and flow diagrams.  Each object on those diagrams has to have details about where it is, how many interfaces it has (each interface has to have where it goes and it's own particulars), how the device will be managed, how the device will be monitored, what will happen when each of it possible failures occurs, and how much it costs.  Each device also needs to be compared to other devices so that the "correct" one can be selected.  Every possible system failure must be documented and the microsecond steps of what happens documented.  As well as "logical" diagrams (of what device connects to what) you have to have "physical diagrams" show exactly how the devices will fit in to a rack.  You have to capture power requirements and cooling requirements (Remember for *each* device).



On top of all the techincal documentation you then have to tie every single technical decision to a "Business Requirment".  Like "Knives were required to deliver on the Sliced Bread requirement."  There are literally hundreds of business requirements...



You can't just buy equipment.  Vendors have to slog it out in a battle of contracts.  Who ever can deliver the most product for the least cost wins.  Sounds good, but it takes months of testing and negotiation.  All the while you have to... guess... document all the tests and results and empirically compare them so that you can prove to your VP (no technical ability at all) that your technical decision is sound.



After all the vendors are selected, you have to build a replica of everything in a lab.  You then test every possible use case and failure that you documented.  You have to, of course, document all the elements of the lab used for testing and all the results.



Once testing is complete, you can deploy your first production test site.  Again with the documentation, testing and results.



Once all these simple tasks are complete you're done and you move on to the next project.



I have two of these going on at the same time...



I'm currently trying to document the first production test of D0840 and I'm trying to get the vendor out of negotiation for D2405.  I'm waaaaay behind on the documentation.



Between the 6 hours of meetings I have to get all the documentation done.  I only have 2.5 days this week since I'll be flying out to Flordia for a conference on Wednesday.  The conference is a meeting of all the carriers to discuss the new IP data product and how we're all going to interconnect.  90% of the attentees will be speaking english as their second (or possible third) language.  All of them will have a PhD in something (I don't).  All of them are going to decide to spend millions of dollars on using an intermediary rather than save millions by choosing to connect to some directly.



So there's the work load.  I also have to keep up with my own Sprint paperwork (performance reviews, etc).  My house still isn't unpacked, my gutters need to be cleaned (or my basement is going to start leaking), my truck needs to be washed, I really want to finish the decor in my kids' rooms and the rest of the house... I'm just wondering if I ever really get to catch up.

What I did on my Summer Vacation

Well I just got back from the Atlantic.  The ocean is pretty special to us land-locked Americans.  I will probably only visit the ocean some 20 or 30 odd times in my life.  So I treat each time as very special.  There's something about the ocean that just makes you think.  It is a physical representation of endless, tireless, and life.  Not human life, but the big circle of life.  So many things come together at the ocean shore.  Water, earth, air and fire are all representing in the waves, sand, wind and sun.  It is as if the entire shore line is a conjunction of that which made us.



At night the stars light the sky over the waves.  For a guy stuck in the middle of the country, it's nearly indescribable how that view feels.  For me it made me wonder at the entire universe.  Why is here at all... What is this "something" that exists? Is there a "nothing"?  So much of it out there.



It was amazing to me to rediscover what just having time to think is like.  When you get knocked out of your routine it really opens you up to just think about things.  I'm sure I can do more of it even in my routine.  I just need to remember that I can afford to spend an hour here or there not thinking about work, house or family--just the enormity of life.



So anyways, what did I do?  I sat on a beach on Sulivan's Island, South Carolina just about 5 minutes south of Charleston.  We rented a house right on the beach for a week.  The kids loved it.  They would have stayed in the gentle waves 24x7 if their little bodies would have allowed it.  It was the first time my oldest two had ever been on an airplane or seen the ocean.  There was much joy.  We explored tide pools and beach combed ourselves silly.  We collected shells and giggled over hermit crabs.  We watch giant freighters cruise in and out of the harbor.  We ate on the deck overlooking the ocean every night.



In Charleston we took several tours.  While a canned tour would appear to be nothing more than basic tourism, I must say that when the subject matter is significant, even a canned tour is interesting.  Charleston was of course one of the central stages of the Civil War.  It is amazing to think how much impact this war has even today--150 years later.  I don't mean the lasting impact of freed slaves, but the very real impact of lost lives.  There is a church in Charleston that had silenced it's bells in rememberance of the lost soldiers.  It had not rung those bells in over 100 years of mourning.  There is something more to learn about a place when you actually visit it.  Even if you don't do anything other than soak up its sights and sounds.  Charleston was founded around 1640.  It has stood for 400 years.  Pretty amazing to think of that.  Perhaps not surprising, they are still trying to market slavery as "not all that bad."  In 4 tours we were told several times about how much free time slaves had and how they were given land and even how their decendents still live and even work on the plantantions of their ancestors.  Of course, none of the own the plantations while several white families continue to announce with pride that they still own their families land.  Ahhh, the South.  Still it was good to go there and see it.  Good to be reminded how significant events can become and how long a notion like racism can last when you're not looking.



Overall, I was most pleased with my vacation.  I hope the kids liked it.  I hope they remember it as fondly as I remember my own childhood vacations with my family.  I never knew how amazing those trips were when I took them.  Odd that 20 years later I still look back on them and learn more from them.

My Birthday - June 11th, 1970 at 12:47 AM

I needed some place to put my wish list.



Dawning Star

http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/products.php?publisherLink=blueDevil



Star Wars d20 books

Ultimate Alien Anthology

Arms & Equiment Guide

New Jedi Order Source Book



The d20 Black Company Source Book (by Green Ronin)



Psychic Handbook (by Green Ronin)



Solid metal dice (found at Battlezone)



Eberron Campaign Guide



Arcana Evolved (by Monte Cook)



A variety of PDF... listed on RPGNow by my email address (curtis_owings@yahoo.com)

They even own our fantasy!

On a "create your own organization" thread of WotC's d20 Modern board I created an entry and then posted Exxon Mobile Corp as the next corporation for the next poster to profile.  The beauty of d20 Modern is that real life is so readily stealable for game ideas.  But I actually got this message posted back!



"No real life companies please. I don't want this thread getting locked."



We can't even question the morality of these corporation in fiction for an RPG!!!