The Convergence of Ubiquitous Computers and the Cloud

I think it is safe to say that a lot of our data has moved online. As envisioned by Mark Weiser computers, more importantly the Internet, have all but faded into the background of our existence making them a ubiquitous technology. Weiser suggested that because we are so fixated on screens that it was impossible in 1991 for the technology to fade into the background but now screens are everywhere: billboards are now huge digital “boards” and subways have digital screens playing the latest news or advertisements, our fridges have screens as do thermostats, ovens and alarm systems. However, 20 years later I believe his predictions have come true. The computer has been assimilated into society to the point where the boundaries between our data consumption via screens is hardly discernible. But what is interesting to note is how the power of the ubiquitous computer has moved much of our other ubiquitous technologies online. Things like writing and entertainment are now performed and stored online in a space known as the “Cloud.”