Doesn't it make you feel inspired?

The web has now been online for more than seventeen years, since Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. This makes me feel reminiscent of the time when the internet was beginning to take off. Some of the first internet websites included. These times were exciting and even using email was fun and brightly coloured fonts were popular. This year (on April 30) marks fifteen years since CERN made the internet available in the public domain.

One of the first online multi-player games I remember is NetStorm and it differs from the Second Life game that is an icon of web 2.0. It was my older brother's favourite game in the late 1990's. To my surprise it still exists, which is a credit to the talented developers who created the game in 1997. This games multi-player version connects to the internet via a server and you can join with other users in challenge rings and advance to high levels based on the number of games won. Its basically a war strategy game yet its online aspect lets you chat with your competitors. It is 2D, yet still provides a unique web experience and held a community which was popular for its time. Despite being published originally by Activision, the game is available for free download and the NetStorm HQ site is community friendly and even encourages users to give their input into improving the game through patches.

Of course, nothing beats the success of Second Life and its ability to actually create a new and improved life in the virtual world. However, Gary Hayes writes about a web 3.0, where our lives truly revolve around our virtual presence. One Australian Gaming company believes that controlling games through our thoughts is actually possible and is developing a headset for the innovation. Apparently, web 3.0 is all about intelligence and how the internet can act as an extension of ourselves. As evolving as the internet might be, conversations about the next big thing are just as common.

Mobile internet is one of the latest trends that has not yet reached its full potential. Using the internet on our mobile phone sounds like a great innovation, yet it is hard to process as computer screens seem to be getting larger and we rely on the internet for so much of our lives. Is it really practical? Maybe it is the websites that just have not caught up with the technology. It is possible that websites need to adapt to cater for smaller screens. Perhaps this is the reason for the lack of mobile web popularity. For example, Asus has its new Eee PC and the problem with that is it requires so much scrolling. It is true that we have mobile internet applications designed just for our mobile viewing, though the amount of websites available is limited due to the screen resolution problem. This is obviously why it takes so long for new technologies to emerge. I will be on the lookout for when this technology really does mean that we have access to the internet in the palm our hands. Though there is one device that is starting to break the problem with resolution and mobile internet. The iPhone has contributed to an increase in mobile web usage this year which may be the start of the breakthrough mobile internet needs.