Father of the internet, Vint Cerf, is taking one on the knuckles this week for the inevitable diminution of the world's IPv4 addresses. Last Friday, The Sydney Morning Herald ran a sensational story titled, "Internet Armageddon all my fault: Google chief," in which Cerf warned of an end to unique IP addresses "within weeks." The story was, of course, a bit tongue-in-cheek, considering the industry has long anticipated and prepared for said Armageddon. Back in 1977, Cerf led a team of DARPA researchers in creating IPv4, which limits IP addresses to four 8-bit numbers or 32-bits total, providing for 4.3 billion addresses: not nearly enough by today's standards. In the article, Cerf said he never expected his protocol to take off, adding, "Who the hell knew how much address space we needed?" The IPv4's successor, IPv6, which enlists four 32-bit numbers or 128 bits total, was developed soon after Cerf's protocol and is now getting attention from internet giants like Google and Facebook, who will launch World IPv6 Day this June. Considering IPv6 makes for 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 unique addresses, we probably won't be hearing of an IP apocalypse anytime soon.
Al Gore: ex-VP, environmentalist, gadget freak We all know former-VP Al Gore loves his Apple gear. Besides sitting on Cupertino's board of directors, he was happy to be shown toting his then-PowerBook around giving that wacky Academy Award-winning Keynote presentation of his. But today in Time's photo essay of his life, we got to see another side of Al Gore: gadget junkie. It's not too often you catch a glimpse of these high profile figures' inner info-sanctums, but we're not at all disappointed in how he holds court over the internet kingdom legend holds he created. From here it looks like the dude's all hooked up with a triple-head 30-inch Cinema Display rig (daaaamn!), what appears to be a Sharp HDTV on the wall (we're gonna guess that's a LC-32D7U), Humanscale Freedom ergo-chair, and an iPod (didn't the President, who owns one, help develop 'em?), whose box sits up in his shelf. Not to get all political and stuff, but surely this office, messy though it may be, is a step up from Bush's humbler means of input, no? P.S. -Yeah, fine, we're creepy gadget stalkers, what of it?I like the reasons he's in. "ex-VP, environmentalist, gadget freak." As VP I'm still wondering what he did to spread the Internet. Just curious. The private sector did the overwhelming majority of it. Enviro Nut Job, well that don't mean much in this nomination. For an Academy Award or Peach Prize, yes, but not here. Gadget freak? Please! I know many a 10 year old who are more gadget freaks than him. Anyone going to nominate my nephew for the HOF? Well we know there are people who do and people who say they do. May I refresh your memory:
But it will emerge from my dialogue with the American people. I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years. During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.Again what did he do in the Congress or the VP to push the Internet, other than be shown on a computer and with a PDA?
Now conspicuous by their absence:
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates: Both expanded the use of computers to millions and Jobs jobs used the Internet to revolutionize music, books and the mobile phone.
Jeffrey Preston "Jeff" Bezos: The founder of Amazon.com may not have been the first but he is the greatest internet marketer of our time. Starting with books you can now get food and jewelry on his web site all around the world.
Pierre Omidyar: Inventor of EBay. Need I say more.
OK HOF. If you have your heads out of your collective asses you should be able to see these men belong here on first ballot. Why are they not?
Also can any of you think of anyone to add?
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