For those of you who know me, the fact that I'm writing about anything having to do with technology is quite a jaw-dropper. According to my ""tech-savvy"" friends and acquaintances, I am quite ""tech-crappy."" When my printer doesn't work, my attempts to fix it include name-calling, kicking and the silent treatment. It is currently resenting me for this abuse and refusing to print off my term papers.
My relationship with my computer, on the other hand, is significantly more mature, and I tote that thing with me like my own baby. Although I do not understand my computer, thus earning the technology-deficient title, I will undoubtedly seek counseling if it ever crashes. Growing up in the Information Age, I think a lot of college students can relate to dependency on computers and the Internet. We grew up having everything we could want, and as our wants matured, so did computer technology. It is a memory of the good ol' days when my 7-year-old self waited 10 minutes expectantly in front of the massive computer screen as the Internet connection dialed up.
Then, as instant messaging became cool with the kids, Internet speed and quality increased. The summer of freedom when I turned 16 and got my driver's license was also when I escaped the binding desktop computer and got a laptop. Now at college, because of the improvements of the university's 21st Century Network Upgrade Project, I can access wireless Internet wherever I choose to go on campus to either do homework, or more likely watch another episode of ""Friends.""
Needless to say, I have been satisfied and complacent with the current form of Internet at each stage in my life, viewing glitches as minor waves in the ocean of technology. So why am I all worked up about Google's experiments in ultrahigh-speed broadband networks? Because Madison is a contending community for testing Internet speeds 100 times faster than what we are currently experiencing. Obviously this would be an improvement to the crashing, slow and frustrating Charter Communications, but what truly is all the hype about faster Internet? It doesn't seem like anything new because people have come to expect technology to always become bigger and better. Well, after an informational visit to the DoIT Tech Store, I've seen this project with new eyes. This is not just evolution of the Internet, but a revolution.
Those good folks at DoIT explained everything to a confused yet amused me, starting with, ""Well, there's this magical thing called the ‘Internet.'"" I eventually learned about fiber-optic networks, pipes, UW's internet networks and improvements, connecting residential areas, Charter and what 1 gigabit per second (what Google is promising) would be like. With speeds like these, I'm beginning to envision the future world depicted in sci-fi movies becoming a reality. And not just for our grandkids, but before I graduate from college.
The example Google uses to demonstrate a future possibility is having a 3-D doctor's appointment with a specialist in New York while you sit at home in Oklahoma with granny. The DoIT Tech Store and I envisioned downloading movies like ""Avatar"" in two minutes and viewing the 3-D wonder the way James Cameron intended. Yet the biggest possibility is unknown. Google wants to see ""next-generation apps"" and ""new deployment techniques,"" but even this innovative company admits they cannot imagine all the possibilities.
One possibility I'm imagining is a better economy with potentially unlimited job creation. With such high-fiber networks serving so many people, new infrastructure will be needed. Current pipes are probably not big enough to provide a whole residential area with those types of speeds, and copper wires will eventually have to be replaced with fiber light wiring.
Also, innovation inspires more innovation. With our generation so dependent on technology, other industries, like the entertainment industry, will have to translate new inventions to the Internet to keep up with Google and future demand. Heck, fashion could even play a part by creating new lines of 3-D glasses. I won't want people confusing me for tech-savvy when I'm sporting the 3-D look.
I still may not be a DoIT dudette, but I appreciate greatness, and Google's developments can achieve greatness. We are standing on the edge of something truly revolutionary, and I hope Madison qualifies to make the jump.
Melissa Grau is a freshman intending to major in secondary education and communication arts. Please send all responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
