The Future of the Internet:Todd Maffin 1999 /h2>

At the KAST Enterprise 99 Todd Maffin (www.FutureFile.com)spoke on future trends on the Internet

he suggested that new technology will be based on mobility: 1) use of palm pilots as browser and personal information management 2) wireless Internet service devices 3) specialized content providers (at a cost), 4) integration of cell phones with GPS (geographic position system) devices, 5)specific commercial content delivery as you walk through various locations (for example a shopping mall and you pass a sports store. The sports store will beep you on your pager about a specific item based on your prerecorded buying habits prerecorded).

New e-commerce technology collects data on your interests and / or buying habits and then "pulls" content to match your profile whenever you shop. In fact Amazon.com already does this. It records which books you have purchased then sends you e-mail specials of new books that match your profile.

A second trend will be a massive outpouring of money after the "Y2K bug" hype is over. Money spent on Y2K compliance will be freed.

A third trend; on line service. Customer on line service is non existent. Long wait times for tech support for newly purchased are common. After the 30 day warranty has expired you pay big money for any further service.

A fourth trend: speech recognition. Your questions, instead of a person, will be answered by computer voice stimulation software. New software development is centering around real time language translation service.

A fifth trend: greater electronic trading of stocks, bonds and investments. Many companies use their web site to sell company stock directly to the consumer elminating the stock broker. Both the company and the buyer benefit by lower stock transaction costs. One can buy small fractional units of shares off their respective web sites.

A sixth trend: digital currency. One gets paid to surf the web. A unique approach is at www.beenz.com. A net surfer earns beenz by visiting selected sites; he can accumulate beenz just like a savings account, then turn around and spend his beenz at a participating web site.

At www.ubarter.com more than 4,000 participating businesses trade products and services using a bartering model. Ubarter.com makes every buyer a seller and vice versa. Participants at the site exchange "Ubarter dollars" with one another for products and services. For example, a seller of a block of hotel rooms might receive a certain number of Ubarter dollars from a printing business that is part of the ubarter.com network. The hotel room provider might then turn around and spend those Ubarter dollars on getting the printer to make up brochures for the hotel. All transactions take place between participating ubarter.com businesses, and ubarter.com takes 5 percent of each transaction.