Notes from Vint Cerf @ Georgia Tech

Vint Cerf, a founding father of the internet, gave a talk at Georgia Tech. Here are a few if my notes, but they were a bit messy because I had to write in pitch dark.

• Works for Google, they asked him what he wanted his title to be, he said “archduke” – they ended up going with Internet Evangelist.
• Cited stats that internet has 1.1 billion users--- but that there are over 6.5 billion people on the planet—so while many people use the web it’s not as universal as believed.
• Pushed the philosophy: IP on Everything – meaning that everything on the internet would be on a single protocol, as opposed to TV (designed just for TV), radio (designed just for radio), etc— these mediums all had special and limited purpose, yet the internet would be application independent – everything would work regardless of what it is—isolate the application. In this sense the network is insensitive – it doesn’t care what the object it—it’s just a baggage of packets—the internet doesn’t discriminate against types of information.
• The internet is an experiment that never ended.
• We’re going to run out of IP addresses in 2011. Trying to release IPv6 to increase range, but there are lots of problems. Essentially going from the original 32 bit system to 128 bit system. Of course, we think this should be enough today, but in 20-30 years will we wish we had more?
• There has been a sea change with the use of the web—it’s become a broadcast medium, rather than just reading and downloading. The Consumer is the Producer.
• A user can make a small change or contribution to Wikipedia and have a substantial impact – not possible in the past.
• There are zero barriers on the web; nearly unlimited opportunities to inject content/comment.
• It’s fascinating that players of virtual games, such as World of Warcraft, will pay others to “play” their character for them so that when they do log into the game they have high skills, better equipment and an overall better experience. (Why suffer through the lower levels when more advanced characters have all the fun?)
• Movie studios are moving toward digital players in movie theaters because it’s much less expensive than reel-to-reel film, and less labor intensive. Have to produce 3000 copies of reel film for blockbusters, plus ship them, fix them, etc.
• You can’t stop illegal downloading—movie studios need to consider alternative revenue streams-- (he’s mentioned this to them, but they don’t listen) His suggestion is for them to embed media content through product placement, for example, you download a movie and see a Mac that the character is using, click on it to link to information about the computer. You like a shirt, car, or song, pause and click, buy. He also mentioned the potential of selling ancillary materials such the e-book that a movie was based on, as well as bios, PR materials, etc, similar to DVD bonus material—build it for web with goal to link it with other stuff, rather than sitting alone on DVD.
• In Africa, growing use of mobile phone minutes as currency. They trade minutes like money, a micro-economy is emerging.
• Mobile computing is the future – the hub of communications.
• There is going to be a rise in geo-location services. GPS is the next killer app. Mobile devices connected to inventory of stores. Direct access to everything. Information questions are based upon where we are. Also, you can access information based upon who you know. Questions are based on: time, location, and personal universe.
• There is an explosion of web enable devices for mobile access, particularly in Japan. Not just devices to get online, but add new functionality.
• Digital picture frame – you can connect it to a flickr account (or other service) and it will update to the latest image. So the grandparents can always have the latest pic of your kids.
• RFID enabled refrigerators—it knows what’s inside and it can suggest meals based on the ingredients; it can also crawl the web for recipes.
• Internet enabled surfboard. Predicts wave patterns, gives you real time data.
• SMS text messaging washing machines.
• Bathroom scale sends info to your doctor, could be connected to refrigerator to help you keep your diet.
• There is a problem with long term preservation. Files will become unreadable. The popular notion is that any material that is valuable or important will be upgraded to the newer formats, but much of the information produced today will not be retrievable tomorrow. We need to preserve operating systems, as well as hardware and software too.
• If software is no longer supported it should become public domain.
• In the long term, like the year 3000, the web will be a sea of uninterruptible data. Kind of like the ancient Egyptians or Stonehenge.
• Working now on the interplanetary internet. (IPN) space based communications. There is a long delay in communications between Earth and Mars. When the planets are the closest it takes 4 minutes to send packets, when furthest 40 minutes.  The problem is that they are always moving and resulting in timeouts, delays, and other random connection problems. LA and NYC are far apart, but they are stable, they don’t move.
• Working with NASA and internationals to equip satellites and other space vessels with standard protocol for web communications. Things that get sent into space have a limited “research mission” and then they are done—could be used as web hubs/routers. Example: Mars Rover. The original mission was 90 days, but 3 years later still there and functional. If they could enable Rover to bounce packets to satellites, would speed up communications.

          

• Google doesn’t want to get into censorship, therefore does provide gmail or blogger in China. They don’t want to just their government, but since they comprise 1/5 of Earth’s population have to be considered. Can’t just ignore because Communist, have to find a way to work with them. Feels the web will help spread democracy.
• Two regrets about internet: 1.) wished he had picked longer bit count for IP address, 2.) wished there was stronger authentication between devices (digital signatures)
• When the internet started it was just a proof of concept—they had hoped to take it down and launch a production model later, but pressure of government to make it work.
• People think that we knew what we were doing or that we had a grand plan or vision—but we didn’t, it was just theory, just an experiment—we didn’t even think it would work, didn’t think it would connect.
• Throughout the 1970’s and much of the 1980’s, he had absolute control of the internet. But only 400 computers were connected. Forced all users to adopt the TCP/IP protocol, or else he kicked them off.
• The web has unleashed a sharing phenomenon.
• Advice for students: look for breaking points—look for things that are unsustainable and then become part of the solution.

• Fish are going extinct = huge loss of food (shortage to come)
• Oil = what’s the future of transportation?
• Health Care = soon to crush the US
• (How about academic journals or even academic libraries in general? He didn’t say that, but I’m just saying)

Look for things that are going to break and then try to imagine what’s next. Look for things that are visibly unsustainable and then position yourself can fill the gap.

Sidenote: GT Students should feel ashamed for not coming out. There were less than 200 people in attendance and this guy really invented the internet, unlike you know who.

Sidenote 2: He's talking about the internet in space and I can barely get a phone signal in my bedroom?

Comments

[lukethelibrarian]

I believe that should be Vint Cerf, not Cert. Great notes, though -- thanks.

[Brian]

Thanks Luke, I get my T's and F's mixed up from time to time.

[Larry Greenwood]

Vint also had a hearing impairment but he did not let that stop him. He developed a way to deal with it in meetings, but I cant remember exactly how he did it. But it was clever. I believe it was mentioned in the book: Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet. A remarkable individual!