Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

Web 2.0 and beyond 501powers Wales continues to exercise over Wikipedia can beunclear and subject to controversy.In 2005 Wales became a member of the board of directorsof Socialtext, a developer of wiki technology. In 2006he also joined the board of Creative Commons, developerof new ways to share intellectual property. That same yearTime listed Wales among 100 of the year’s most influentialpeople, and Wales received a Pioneer Award from the ElectronicFrontier Foundation. Wales lives near St. Petersburg,Florida.Further Reading“Jimmy Wales: Free Knowledge for Free Minds” [blog]. http://blog.jimmywales.com/. Accessed May 10, 2007.Lee, Ellen. “As Wikipedia Moves to S.F., Founder DiscussesPlanned Changes.” San Francisco Chronicle, November 30,2007. Available online. URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/30/BUOMTKNJA.DTL. AccessedDecember 3, 2007.Mangu-Ward, Katherine. “Wikipedia and Beyond: Jimmy Wales’Sprawling Vision.” Reason, June 2007, pp. 18–29.Tapscott, Don, and Anthony D. Williams. Wikinomics: How MassCollaboration Changes Everything. New York: Penguin, 2006.Wikipedia. Available online. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page. Accessed May 10, 2007.wearable computersFor some time, technology pundits have talked about computersbeing literally woven into daily life, embedded inclothing and personal accessories. However, implementationshave thus far seen only limited use. For example,watches with limited computer functions (see pda) havenot proven popular—a watch large enough for input anddisplay of information would likely be too bulky for comfort.(People have also walked about with attached webcams,although the novelty seems to have quickly wornoff.)Emerging PossibilitiesThere are, however, a number of more limited wearablecomputers that are likely to be practical. Small cards (seerfid and smart card) could provide tracking for childrenor others needing monitoring. Embedded sensors could bedesigned to detect whether an elderly person has fallen orperhaps has suffered a heart attack.Head-mounted displays that fit into eyeglasses or gogglesare already in use and can offer applications rangingfrom gaming (see virtual reality) to providing informationaloverlays to aid in military reconnaissance, policepatrol, or firefighting. (This could also be combined withtracking and communications.) Other embedded computersmight provide hands-free voice recognition or languagetranslation.More whimsical wearable computers could control thecolors and patterns displayed by garments, perhaps varyingthem with the mood of the wearer.Whimsy aside, some serious effort is now going intodeveloping a wide range of wearable computer applications.The most prominent effort is wearIT@work, funded by theA fashion model wears a “Skooltool” outfit that allows informationto be played through earphones or projected onto the lenses. Theoutfit was a collaboration between MIT researchers and fashiondesigners. (Sam Ogden / Photo Researchers, Inc.)European Union. It is developing an Open Wearable ComputingFramework and standard hardware.Further ReadingCristol, Hope. “The Future of Wearable Computers.” The Futurist36 (September 1, 2002): 68.MIT Media Lab Wearable Computing. Available online. URL:http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/index.html. AccessedDecember 3, 2007.“Wearing Technology on Your Sleeve.” PhysOrg, November 26,2007. Available online. URL: http://www.physorg.com/news115310793.html. Accessed December 3, 2007.WearIt@Work. Available online. URL: http://www.wearitatwork.com/. Accessed December 3, 2007.Xu, Yangsheng, Wen Jung Li, and Ka Keung Lee. Intelligent WearableInterfaces. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley Interscience, 2007.Web 2.0 and beyondSomewhere between a buzzword and a genuine new paradigm,Web 2.0 refers to a number of developments that are