Data

This is the light of other days. Thank you Clarke and Baxter.

As humanity progresses into the future, our ability to store, analyze, and interpret data will grow exponentially. The roots of this future extend all the way back to ancient civilizations storing transport logs. Indeed the roots of data extend to the beginning of organized societies of sentient primates. However, it is the future prospects of data that interest this humble norn.

A view port into data streams.

Imagine a time where every possible inquiry that creeps into the psyche can be answered instantaneously and completely. Where did I put my keys? How many times have I been unable to get to my phone before it went to voice mail? Exactly where have I placed my feet, in what order, over the past 10 years in a certain 10 mile square radius. These examples might be interesting things to know, but are they useful things to know? Yes, they are. It is not the specifics of what humanity will be able to discover instantly. It is the scope of having all data accessible for everyone.

Where did I put my cat?

With the ability to have a complete recording of our present, we can finally start to have true history. There is no truth in history; at least not absolute truths. We can examine to true costs of our cultural constructs. We can share experiences with the whole of species. It is exciting to see how we have already made small inroads. Blogging, RFID tags, facial scanners, all these things are the precursors of our future to come. I will come back to data in later posts. There are a multitude of issues to discuss; there are benefits, but there are also "negatives". After all, when we've reached the point where everything is stored, we've also reached the point where privacy has to be set aside.