The Online World resources handbook

Gazing into the future http://home.eunet.no/~presno/bok/17.html
the magic zero.
Powerful new search tools
As the amount of available information increases, the development of adequate finding
tools is gaining momentum. Still, finding and using what we can get remains a major
problem, and particularly on the Internet.
Personal information agents, whether they be called "knowbots" or other things,
will increasingly do a better job at scanning databases and other information offerings
for specific information at a user's bidding. Gradually, this may make specialists'
knowledge of what sources to use redundant.
Search services will gradually cope better with the Internet's growth in Web pages
and offerings, across language and cultural barriers, and offer indexes updated by the
minute.
Some of these features will be built into your local software or operations systems,
while others will be services offered through the net. Some will exploit the hypertext
concept, universal data linking, massive cross indexing of information, dynamic
customization of your interactions to the various services, and more.
Artificial intelligence will increase the value of searches, as they can be based on
your personal searching history since your first day as a user.
Your personal information agents will make automatic decisions about what is
important and what is not in a query. When you get information back, it will even be
ranked by what seems to be closest to your query.
Sources for future studies
Let's end this chapter with some online services and sources focusing on the future:
Internet Surveys is a free monthly newsletter that digests the most important
surveys and reports on the Internet.
The European Commission publishes an "Information Society Trends"
newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it by email .
Usenet has the comp.society.futures newsgroup about "Events in technology
affecting future computing."
Dataquest, a U.S. market research firm, often offers interesting free texts. George
Gilder's interesting views on the communications revolution and its implications for the
future are at http://www.forbes.com/asap/gilder/.
Why not complement what you find here by monitoring trends in associated areas
(like music), to follow the development from different perspectives?
It is tempting to add a list of conferences dedicated to science fiction, but I'll leave
that pleasure to you.
Have a nice trip!
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The Online World resources handbook's text on paper, disk and in any other electronic form is ©
copyrighted 2000 by Odd de Presno.
Updated at October 15, 2001.
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