Articles, essays, and talks of Rey Lugtu

(Published in Business Mirror under the Mirror Image column, May 12, 2009) What’s the sound of a planet talking? A century ago, the answer was simple: people conversing in person or over wired networks. Today it’s not just everyone, but also every thing talking to every other thing, in constant motion. An estimated 2 billion people will be on the Web by 2011—and they’ll be doing more than talking. Video on demand, IP or Internet television and Internet TV will account for nearly 90 percent of consumer Internet traffic by 2012. When people talk, it will be to many more people—via social-networking sites, whose memberships will top 500 million in the next three years. Consider that 10,000 security cameras in London are connected to the Web, feeding it video 24 hours a day. Or take the 300 connected sensors on a bridge in Minnesota; add the 800 monitoring another in Hong Kong—and multiply by the millions of roads, bridges and buildings in cities around the world. Now add billions of intel...