1 What is the “Galactic Network” concept? What year was it conceived?
Envisioned by Dr. J. C. R. Licklider in October, 1962, the “Galactic Network” was the earliest concept of a worldwide computer network in which various computer terminals were linked to eachother, enabling communication and the access and transfer of data between each connected terminal. It was essentially the first vision of truly interactive computing.
2. What is DARPA and the ARPANET?
DARPA is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Its production funded by DARPA, the ARPANET was the network that established the basis for the internet. It employed the concept of transferring data within small units (known as ‘packets’) along paths to different users in which the packeted information could then be reconstructed on the recieving terminal for access.
Taken from the site ARPANET Maps, I obtained numerous maps displaying the ARPANET’s expansion across the United States from December, 1969 to the 15th of July, 1977. I then compiled them into the .gif above.
3. Who were Robert E. Kahn and Vint Cerf?
Robert E. Kahn and his colleague Vint Cerf, widely recognised as the “fathers of the internet”, were the two engineers who developed the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), the fundamental communication protocols that operate as the foundations of today’s internet.
4. What came first: Friendster, MySpace or Facebook. Who is Mark Zuckerberg?
Founded in 2002, the social gaming site Friendster was the first of the three, followed by MySpace (founded in 2003) and Facebook (2004)
Mark Zuckerberg, a 30-year-old computer programmer, was the individual who developed (alongside a small team of fellow students) and launched the social media site, Facebook, intending for it to be exclusive to the students of Harvard University (before booming in popularity).
5. In your opinion, what is the future of the Internet? How will it influence education, personal health and daily life in general?
I find this a difficult question to answer, as the internet is already such an enormous presence in our daily lives. I feel the only way for the internet to advance even further is for it to find means of becoming a constant, twenty-four-seven presence in our lives, rather than an intermittent luxury.
I see this already slowly emerging in the development of devices such as Google Glass, in which the internet is accessible as a continual presence in the user’s eyesight, not simply something you can stuff in your pocket.
As for aspects such as education and personal health, many elements of our day-to-day life will inevitably be replaced or enhanced with the internet. The fact that these avenues have not already employed the internet to streamline service is honestly, a little surprising. Imagine mental health services that could analyse web searches and activity on social media and provide a more comprehensive diagnosis, or schools that could provide instant communication between a student and a lecturer or professional who live continents apart: The internet has already demonstrated its potential, and its employment in any aspect of our lifestyles is inevitable.
LUNACY DESIGNS 