Is this the Semantic Web?

I was taken by this article (and the referenced piece) because it seems to 
describe the Semantic Web vision without once mentioning the words 
"Semantic" or "RDF" or "Agent" or "Ontology".  It does assert "This coming 
wave doesn't even have a name yet."

#g
--

# "Next Big Thing: The Web as Your Servant"
USA Today (10/01/04) P. 1A; Maney, Kevin

The next big advance in the Internet, which some experts are calling the 
world network or Internet 2.0, is a far more interconnected communications 
network using wired and wireless networks, satellites, and new hardware and 
software to fundamentally change the way people interact with information. 
Instead of users seeking out information, data will follow users, producing 
a services-oriented world network that will track people and serve their 
needs. For example, the basic technology is in place that will allow 
personalized travel software to alert someone of when they need to leave 
their house in order to make a flight, based on traffic and flight time 
data automatically gathered online; if rebooking is needed, the travel 
software would be able to send emails out to immediate family members and 
perhaps the rental car company at the destination. With the aid of 
complementary technology such as Wi-Fi, radio frequency identification 
(RFID), and the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Web will be able to 
deliver services far more powerful than those envisioned by Web services 
proponents. Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee is also working on such a future, 
and says the Web will only achieve its full potential if automated tools 
are in place to share and process information. But the capabilities that 
are now within reach got here mostly by accident, as key technologies such 
as the GPS were developed for other reasons than providing 
location-specific Web services. And while GPS provides users' location, 
RFID puts items on the network so that services know what is available. 
Internet pioneer Marc Andreessen says the economics of the Internet have 
dramatically improved as well since Web startups today are able to buy 
technology cheaper, tap more advertising dollars, and have a larger pool of 
customers who are more willing to buy online.
Click Here to View Full Article
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2004-10-01-cover-web_x.htm



------------
Graham Klyne
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http://www.ninebynine.org/#Contact

Received on Tuesday, 5 October 2004 10:04:56 UTC