Ordering fried chicken with the TV remote. Part 2
Ok, so what is my view of convergence? Well, I do agree that over time, the typical fridge will become part of the Internet. But most of us won’t notice it or be aware that it has happened because five or 10 years out, most fridges will still contain a variety of microprocessors, as they do today. Yet these microprocessors will be IP-chips, or Internet-aware processors. They’ll monitor the conditions of the fridge and adjust operating conditions as appropriate. A bit of an energy brown-out? Adjust the cooling range for that. The kids left the door open for too long? Feed some extra cold air to the vegetable crisper. The compressor is about to go? Send a message off to the fridge manufacturer, notifying them of the potential problem. Maybe it’s running hot? No problem, a small bit of code will be sent back to recalibrate the engine speed.
That’s why we joked in our Light Bulbs to Yottabits book that in the future, you’ll go to answer your front door, and see the Maytag repairman. “I didn’t call you,” you’ll say. “No, your fridge did.”
Far-fetched? Perhaps, but more believable than the idea of ordering fried chicken with my TV remote through the MegaConvergeCorp Multimedia Interactive SuperChannel.
Once you start thinking about the Internet chip, you begin to realize how far reaching the implications of the converged world will be. As anyone involved with Y2K knows, we are already surrounded by microprocessors. Intel suggests that by noon, most of us have already interacted with 130 different microprocessors. They’re in our cars, cellphones, toaster ovens and garage door openers. It is estimated that there are 600 billion of them.
And the simple fact is, the next generation of microprocessors, in development now, is being engineered with the ability to talk TCP/IP. And once you do that, the fundamental role of the microprocessor, and the device in which it is embedded, forever changes.
One of the most fascinating areas of opportunity is the manufacturing sector. IP-chips permit a level of interaction and monitoring of the production process never possible previously. Or consider a $5 device with a chip in it that can monitor the flow in a flood prone river. Attach a few to several bridge supports, build an application, and you’ve got a tool by which emergency crews can monitor for dangerous conditions. The possibilities are endless, and intriguing.
Career opportunities? I think there will be plenty with anything having to do with the word “embedded.” There are already many companies actively working in the area of hardware. The embedded software market is extremely active. Then there are the control and monitoring systems that go with this interconnected world, not to mention the opportunities that will emerge in interface design. I think this will prove to be one of the most fascinating and fast-paced areas in the world of technology in the years to come.
As for the other idea of convergence? Twenty years from now, we will have the same old, tired entertainment telecom and broadcast executives pushing their idea of the supercharged ad-driven couch-potato entertainment universe. And most of us will still continue ignoring them.
Prepaid call сards used for local and international phone calls are quite fresh, popular and relevant option. The most important plus of long distance call cards for international calls is their very cheap price, thanks to what there’s a big savings.
