Saturday, August 20, 2005

Author John Battelle has written a book called "The Search" which contains some interesting speculations about directions and mediums that search can evolve into. He writes that

"In the near future, search will metastasize from its origins on the PC-centric Web and be let loose on all manner of devices. This has already begun with mobile phones and PDAs; expect it to continue, viruslike, until search is built into every digital device touching our lives. The telephone, the automobile, the television, the stereo, the lowliest object with a chip and the ability to connect—all will incorporate network-aware search.

This is no fantasy; this is simple logic. As more and more of our lives become connected, digitized, and computed, we will need navigation and context interfaces to cope."

In a sense I find these thoughts relevant: in a world of greater external information, with increasing data storage and retrieval necessary, we will also increase our dependency upon external tools and devices to aid our navigation. We are becoming awash with information, not all of it good or useful.

Yet what is missing here is the 'inner search'. These realms are far more extensive and require greater skills and discipline of navigation. Outer space, I state, is a manifestation of consciousness which is itself the very essence of the inner space. Perhaps a greater ability of inner navigation will help us to steer our way through the physical networks, traffic, and congestions?

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