Does This Make Me A Geek?

I was completely blown away yesterday by an 80-minute presentation on YouTube from the folks at Google, talking about a new open-source product they will be releasing to the general public later this year. This is the way the product was described at TechCrunch:

Yesterday, during the Google I/O keynote, Google’s VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra, laid out a grand vision for the direction Google sees the web heading towards with the move to the HTML 5 standard. While we’re not there yet, all the major browser players besides Microsoft are aligned and ready for the next phase, which will include such things as the ability to run 3D games and movies in the browser without additional plug-ins. But Google wants to take it one step further with a brand new method of communication for this new era. It’s called Google Wave.

Everyone uses email and instant messaging on the web now, but imagine if you could tie those two forms of communication together and add a load of functionality on top of it. At its most fundamental form, that’s essentially what Wave is. Developed by brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen and Stephanie Hannon out of Google’s Sydney, Australia offices, Wave was born out of the idea that email and instant messaging, as successful as they still are, were both created a very long time ago. We now have a much more robust web full of content and brimming with a desire to share stuff. Or as Lars Rasumussen put it, “Wave is what email would look like if it were invented today.”

Having seen a lengthy demonstration, as ridiculous as it may sound, I have to agree.

Me too!

It was an absolutely incredible demonstration. If you've never watched an online video presentation for 80 continuous minutes, this is the time to do so. It boggles the mind to try and think of how this is going to change communications. I'm going to embed the video below:

The technological advances these days are coming in ever quicker cycles. You do have to wonder how we're going to handle it all -- or whether we can. I have faith that we can, and we will. That, too, might make me a geek.

Comments

[Leonard]

Barry just aint gonna let that happen. There has to be a way to have it on a government program supported by taxpayers first!

[RattlerGator]

Bad boy, Leonard! Is that some patriotic dissent from you, my man?

Unfortunately, me thinks the Google folks love Barry O and one of their own, if I'm not mistaken, has joined the administration.

Nevertheless, a very intriguing product.