One of the things that I have been pondering lately is where the Internet is going, and what are we going to do with it?  If we look at other innovations over the course of our history on this particular ball of mud there are some good examples that we can observe that might shed some light on what the Internet might be.

Pondering Telephones:
If we look at telephones and how they developed, and what they meant and still mean, it is interesting to look at how we have come to rely on them.  My mother recently moved into a new house.  While on the face of things, that is not a huge event, but one thing that she did (or did not do, in this case) was to not order a telephone.  No "land line" at all.  She decided that since she has a cell phone, and most of us who love her know her number, she did not need to add yet another number for us to have to remember.  The added benefit is that the cell phone goes with her and has voice mail.  Why should she tie herself down with a number that only goes to 1 place?  (And the funny part is she does not like the fact that traditional telephones that are installed in the home do not have text messaging.  Think about that for a moment...)  This whole thing is funny from the stand point that growing up we had a rotary phone. (and we were on a party line.  I am getting old.)  So using my mother as an example I draw the conclusion that the phone was not the thing she needed, the contact with her family and friends is.  Strange to think that in one lifetime she progressed from early adoption (operator based phones) to completely mobile (cell phone).

Pondering Faxes:
We have a fax machine here at Evolve Systems.  And we use it all the time.  We jot down notes and contracts and send them over the telephone to others who are in our same position.  I have been told that we do this in many cases for legal reasons.  It is not a "signed contract" if we get an e-mail from a client.  But if we get a fax?  Take that to the bank!  We moved to all IP based phones at our office for many reasons.  Silly part is we "had to" keep 1 phone line so that we could use the fax machine. I do not see a way "out" from using faxes right now, but it is interesting to ponder them once in a while.

Pondering where we are going:
Communication.  I think that is the root of where we are going.  My mom needs her cell phone.  My sales staff need the fax.  I installed satellite internet at my cabin in northern Minnesota so that I could check e-mail and program websites.  Access and communication.  Location really does not matter to my job any more.  I could be writing this from a plane, a Tibetan monastery or from my basement in Minnesota.  The future of the Internet is, in my opinion, all about merged connectivity.  My mom moved from being tied to a telephone in her home to taking her phone with her.  Once we move away from being tied to a single computer in an office, and the programs on said machine, then what need do we have for the office?  If everything I needed was located on the Internet, all my files, programs and "stuff", then I would be free to choose my location to do work.  That is where the Internet is going.  Everywhere.  It will not be about taking the Internet with us, but rather, the Internet will be everywhere we are.