Disruptive Technologies - Second Life

• How is Second Life a disruptive technology? Second Life (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72CvvMuD6Q) came on the scene fast and furious and is exponentially growing. Phillip Rosedale in his 2008 TedTalk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72CvvMuD6Q) predicts it will soon replace the web in volume, with over 20,000 computers linked in 2008 in its infancy stages.

• What technology or innovation did it displace? Second Life, according to Phillip Rosedale, may be displacing the basic function of the internet because not only does it help with organizing, creating, and exchanging information; it provides a social context for experiencing and interacting with the information and other avatars as well as provides depth of learning and memory with the symbols and graphics that are used along with text and experiences.

• How many years do you think Second Life has left before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it? Definitely nothing in the next five years, according to the 2011 Horizon Report (http://www.educause.edu/Resources/2011HorizonReport/223122). It is difficult to predict disruptive technologies; they can come at any time without warning.


• What are the social benefits of Second Life, and what might be the social implications of virtual worlds in your industry? Social implications in education are bringing the international world together in so many different aspects: from economics to language learning and practicing, to scientific collaboration. My special interest is in adapting second life to problem-solving case studies like we see in the Harvard developed “River City Project” (http://muve.gse.harvard.edu/rivercityproject/view/rc_videos.html) where teams collaborate to solve multifaceted complex community problems, using skills in math, science, history, ecology, and psychology.

Rhymes of History & Forces Behind Emerging Technologies

According to Dr. David Thornburg (2009 vodcast), rhymes in history are a powerful force in the emergence of technologies. While technologies may undergo several evolutionary stages, they may also reflect or rekindle past impacts of ancient, historical technologies in their intended usage.

Tablets are a great example of a rekindled past where writings were etched in stone tablets for portability to meet communication needs of society. We have seen much iteration of tablets, especially in the past ten years, and most have come and gone. However, today’s iPads and Zooms are so powerful, it appears they may replace hauling laptops to meetings and trying to find power. Here’s a promo video by Motorola showing Egyptian stone tablets with hieroglyphic writings.
Tablet evolution presented by Motorola, posted Dec 19, 2010:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI2I8wLPdc

In the following articles on the history of the recently developing tablets, one of the first tablets dates back to Alan Kay’s DynaBook, although there were others less famous, in the 1960’s. However, the author points out those components were in the making back in 1888, most likely with the Elisha Gray teleautograph.
A Short History of the Tablet Computer, Jan 15, 2010:
http://www.osnews.com/story/22739/A_Short_History_of_the_Tablet_Computer
The inside track on Apple's tablet: a history of tablet computing; Jan 15, 2010
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/01/15/the_inside_track_on_apples_tablet_a_history_of_tablet_computing.html

In the following TED presentation by Kevin Kelly, he analyzes the past 5,000 days of the web and predicts the radical changes for the next 5,000 days of the web.
Kevin Kelly ( http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/
kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html). In his 2007 TED presentation,

Kevin Kelly predicted three major trends for the web:

Embodiment: every device screen is a window into the ONE machine that connects everyone and everything to the web. All technologies are merging and becoming unified into one voice, one large organism.
What does this rekindle from our past? I would relate this to a nomadic tribal nation that moved together and functioned together as a unit for survival.

Restructuring & Co-dependency: the internet of the web will not only improve, but will look very different with more personalization and connections, contributing to the unity of the web. What does this rekindle from our past? This rekindles the individual connections that were created for the first time when the telephone was invented.

References:

Kelly, K. (2007, December). The next 5,000 days of the Web [Speech]. Speech delivered at the EG 2007 Conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/
kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

Thornburg, D. (2009). Rhymes of history. (Vodcst). Emerging and future technology DVD produced by Laureate Education, Inc. Baltimore.