Chapter 4: The Era of Sentient Things.
Virtual reality? I went to www.dictionary.com and found eight entries. The one that seems to fit the best is, "a hypothetical three-dimensional visual world created by a computer; user wears special goggles and fiber optic gloves etc., and can enter and move about in this world and interact with objects as if inside." (WordNet 2005) or augmented reality? a mingling of the virtual and physical world.
Different kinds of research include the following:
Information in places: media linked to location; (OnStar)
Smart rooms: environments that sense inhabitants and respond to them;
Digital cities: adding information capabilities to urban places;
Sentient objects: adding info and communication to physical things; (embedded chips)
Tangible bits: manipulating the virtual world by manipulating physical objects;
Wearable computers: sensing, computing, and communicating gear worn as clothing. (helmets)
Why not plan a vacation to Cooltown or World Board to experience the latest in technology.
Chapter 5: The Evolution of Reputation.
"Reputation marks the spot where technology and cooperation converge." (114).
Rheingold writes of the early versions of reputation management: eBay, Epinions, Slashdot, Amazon, Google.com. How do these social network work? The participants cooperate based on a system of reciprocation "offering mutually profitable cooperation only to partners who are willing to return the favor and punish those who do not". Freeriders are punished and those who don't punish the freerider are considered freeriders too.
Social networking has its rewards and its punishments.
Chapter 6: Wireless Quilts.
Rheingold continued to investigate smart mob wireless networks and located them in places where computer users gather - coffee shops in particular those that sold expensive coffee - in Starbucks.
A community of "homebrew innovators" -- volunteers that banded together to create a new media that increases in value when it is shared. A radio beacon is used to connect with the Internet; an inexpensive means to spread a public good, the smart mob theory in practice. An example that Rheingold elaborated on is the work of Colonel Dave Hughes who brought wireless broadband to Indian reservation, in Mongolia, and in Wales. He was looking for a way to make communication affordable in rural communities. "Bluetooth" is another example of inexpensive connection to the Internet.
The Federal Communications Commission is try to control the use of the Internet but - "The highway is a commons" (153) where people from all classes can meet and share common interests.
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