A Library as Big as the World (BusinessWeek Online, February 28th)
Most web publishers have heard of Alexa Internet and the Internet Archive, and possibly use the services to visit the web 'as it was', or to track down trends in traffic data and document relationships. But there's much more to the Alexa/IA vision than simply storing a copy of the web - though this vision may be severely hampered by legal barriers - as this passionate article reveals.

Standards Group Unveils Web3D Spec (internet.com, February 27th)
While VRML failed to catch on as the standard that would transform the web into a landscape littered with immersive 3D environments and applications, Web3D hopes that its new X3D (Extensible 3D) standard proposal will work to this end, while also providing easy ports of 3D content between a variety of devices and displays.

Broadband Internet Never Cometh (NewsFactor, February 26th)
With the rate of broadband adoption slowing due to high installation costs, a continued recession in the US and a lack of compelling content that can only be accessed through broadband connections, analysts are warning that content plays don't base their business models around expectations of a spike in uptake until the costs associated with broadband tumble.

When Will AI Get Down to Business? (NewsFactor, February 25th)
This NewsFactor report looks at how far Artificial Intelligence has come since its roots in sci-fi, with an emphasis placed on examining its present and future applications in business.

Intel Trumpets Two-Way Xeon Chips (internet.com, February 25th)
Intel opened its Developer Forum in San Francisco Monday with the unveiling of its first Xeon chip for two-way servers featuring Hyper-Threading technology and the Intel Netburst microarchitecture. The chips will be used in servers addressing "front-end" and general purpose needs, promising dramatic performance leaps. IBM, not to be outdone, also used the time to announce major advances in its chip technology efforts. Information about the IBM announcement and where this fits into the tech spectrum may be found in this Wired News article. Two weeks after this announcement, Intel bolstered the flexibility and scalability of the product range by launching Xeon MP - a multiprocessor version of their new technology designed to power process-intensive midtier and back-end servers.

The Net is Running Out of Space, Says EC (ElectricNews.net, February 22nd)
Since IPv4, the standard adopted in the 70s as the addressing system of the internet, is only capable of defining 4 billion individual addresses, and since the bulk of these are designated for use within the United States, several groups (most notably the European Commission) are pushing for an accelerated deployment of the long-awaited IPv6 out of the fear that all available space will be consumed by emerging technologies and greater net penetration. IPv6 promises the provision of an almost infinite number of addresses, while additionally strengthening the security and flexibility of the net's infrastructure. To counter this, ZDNet has published a commentary piece entitled Do we really need an IP upgrade?

Working Towards Universal Payment Solutions (E-Commerce Times, February 22nd)
A consortium of major mobile telephony and electronics players have united in an effort to sketch out and solidify the standards that will support secure online transactions of all shapes and sizes as made through wireless devices.

Speech Technology for Applications Inches Forward (IT World, February 22nd)
An early version of an emerging technology that will allow users to control software applications using the human voice has been released to developers.

Give A Shout Out to Yahoo! (internet.com, February 20th)
New voice recognition technology from Nuance and others helps boost the media giant's subscription-based Yahoo! by Phone and Yahoo! Phone Card Services.

Grid Computing Will Drive Future Internet Growth, Economist Says (GridComputingPlanet, February 19th)
Internet traffic could grow eight times more than forecast over the next decade because of commercial adoption of Grid computing and related P2P applications, economist Robert Cohen said yesterday at Global Grid Forum 4. Wired News explores the strategic aspects of the emerging grid - and what it means to Microsoft whose .NET functions on similar principles - here. More information on the technology's attainment of several mainstream backers may be found in this CNET story.

Networked Dream Home Still a Dream (MSNBC, February 18th)
Though several tech companies are already showing off their visions for the networked home in branding ads and trade shows, critics suggest that industrial inconsistencies and minimal consumer interest will inhibit this dream for the next few years. Once standard protocols emerge, though, and if the push by electronics, infrastructure and software firms pays off, the dream may prove a reality for early adopters as soon as 2004 or 2005.

All Hail .Net! (Salon.com, February 14th)
Salon.com publishing a wildly pro-Microsoft article? And not on April 1st? Could it be true? In an uncharacteristic move, Salon.com's Peter Wright here presents a tremendously idealistic view of the future as powered by .Net.

Wireless LAN Provides Public with Quick Net Access (eMarketer, February 13th)
Analysys estimates that 21 million people in the US will be using public wireless LANs in 2007, generating over $3 billion in service revenue, while providing users with access to the net at a variety of remote locations.

Certain Applications Could Lead Consumers to Broadband (CyberAtlas, February 13th)
It's been said that broadband has to be sold to consumers based on its applications, not its speed. A survey by Sage Research examined which high-speed applications will get consumers to pay.

Legality of Comcast Web-Tracking Questioned (USA Today, February 13th)
Rep. Ed Markey, an aggressive privacy advocate in Congress, pressed the top executive at Comcast on Wednesday over the company's decision to begin recording the Web browsing activities of each of its 1 million high-speed internet subscribers.

NYC Unveils First Internet-Ready Pay Phone (internet.com, February 11th)
Just in case you were starting to fear that people don't have enough outlets from which to view your pride of place in cyberspace, the news out of NYC announcing the opening of the first Internet-ready public phone should come as heartening news.

Researchers Take a Spin on Future Web (NewsFactor, February 8th)
Researchers at several predominently US-based universities and other institutions continue to refine the systems and applications that will power the next generation net - dubbed Internet2. The system will is based on an architecture similar to the existing net, but has been enhanced in such a fashion as to blow present data transfer rates out of the water, with the idea of linking business and educational institutions with extremely fat pipes, with plans for a consumer roll-out to follow. While purveyors of remote medical care, distant learning, video-conferencing, home networking, the evernet, video-on-demand and other high definition services espouse the benefits of such a theoretical system, the practicalities of debuting a super net certainly face hurdles - given the slow adoption rate of presently-available broadband internet connectivity. For more information on this, and seminal efforts underway to surpass the speed and flexibility of Internet2 by several degrees via a new research project, see this NewsFactor story.

The Classic American Road Trip, Version 2002 (E-Commerce Guide, February 7th)
The classic American road trip made famous in film and fiction may never be the same again as petroleum company Phillips 66 begins transforming its gas stations and convenience stores into e-commerce engines.

BT's Hypertext Lawsuit Goes Forward (ElectricNews.net, February 7th)
Rarely has there been a patent lawsuit as ridiculed by the science and technology community as in the case of British Telecom's claim that they devised the process behind hyperlinking. Nevertheless, the company has progressed beyond its initial calls for licensing compensation from ISPs, and has taken the matter to court in an effort to extract royalties for the use of the very hypertext linking upon which the architecture and usability of the net is based. For more on this, and the perceived weakness of the case, see this Wired News article. (oops, used a hyperlink ;))

Ogilvy Pursues Convergence with iLoveTV (internet.com, February 7th)
While many have tried and failed, it remains likely that those tech startups who succeed in forging relationships with existing media power-players will find a profitable niche in the much-ballyhooed iTV convergence space. As such, iLoveTV's announcement that it has gained support from the interactive division of ad giant Ogilvy & Mather is a coup for the firm. Under the terms of the agreement, the two will pursue joint interactive television initiatives, with the first being the development of a system that united the home PC with a TV in such a way as to trigger the loading of different webpages when a reference to them appears on TV.

Blueprint For A Decentralized World (GridComputingPlanet, February 7th)
The new Globus-IBM paper, "The Physiology of the Grid," suggests an evolution in computing environments that better suits the wired world.

Nokia Pushing Convergent Technologies (internet.com, February 6th)
Finnish wireless phone maker Nokia is extending its reach to devices that don't involve a PC with the development of next-generation products using Flash and Visual Basic, officials announced Wednesday. The tools will be used to incorporate interactive elements into their iTV-centric set-top boxes, amongst other convergent developments.

Digging Deep Into Compression (Wired News, February 6th)
Compression is central to many a computing task - particularly when related to the narrowband art of web development and design. But could compression algorithms find their place in sociological and archaeological applications in an effort to identify the author of a particular creation?

Consumers Unconvinced by Home Nets (allNetDevices, February 5th)
Despite high hopes pinned on the technologies by convergent-happy tech and media giants such as AOL, Microsoft, Sony, Apple and LG, consumers - it seems - are less giddy about the promises offered by a networked home than the tech execs behind such evolutions. The Yankee Group puts this lack of interest down to ineffective marketing.