The following is an abridged extract from Chapter 3 of The STREAM TONE: The Future of Personal Computing?
3 THE PRESENT
The foundation of all our tomorrows
The Stream Tone will be a product of the present; it will be based on the knowledge, skills, techniques, technologies, thinking, and tools of today. This chapter considers some of the potential building blocks that could be used to create the Stream Tone, and some of the precursors that suggest that aspects of the Stream Tone may already exist today.
3.1 BUILDING BLOCKS
No need to start from scratch!
If you were an engineer tasked with creating the Stream Tone, as envisioned today, the following Stream Tone building blocks might be the knowledge, skills, techniques, technologies, and thinking that you would first select for inclusion in your toolbox. Of course, choosing the right set of tools for this particular job would be largely impossible as the Stream Tone has not yet been fully defined. So all you could really do at this stage would be to select tools that appeared useful, or that might help you to better understand what the Stream Tone actually is or could be. The Stream Tone building blocks are where the Stream Tone starts to become more than just an idea. They mark the point at which the Stream Tone starts to be definitively defined, as the sum of its potential parts, the point at which the Stream starts to enter reality.
Some of the Stream Tone building blocks, described in this section, are mature technologies that could readily be used to enable the creation of the Stream Tone, whilst others are just promising ideas, things that might be useful later on, and which, it would therefore, be wise to keep an eye on in the interim. Some of the building blocks are current Web-based Services that appear to be favourably shifting societal sentiment towards a future in which personal computing can be wholly-based on remotely-sourced services. Some of the building blocks will be required to create the foundational infrastructure of the Stream Tone, some will be required to create the many intermediates that will be needed on the Stream Tone's journey from inception to reality, and some will be required to bring the Stream Tone to full maturity. Consequently, there are quite a lot of them.
Even though the list of building blocks provided in this section appears to be quite substantial, it should not be considered exhaustive or definitive, simply representative. The building blocks were subjectively selected on the basis that they appear to have the potential to contribute, in some way, towards the creation of the Stream Tone, as currently envisioned. The building blocks have been provided to demonstrate that the Stream Tone could, theoretically, be built from a wide range of current knowledge, skills, techniques, technologies, and thinking, and that, even at this very early stage, the Stream Tone is hopefully much less science fiction, and more science fact.
Collectively, the Stream Tone building blocks define the physical and intellectual environment, the primordial soup, as it were, from which the Stream Tone will eventually emerge, and by better understanding the ingredients in that soup it is possible to better understand the Stream Tone. The building blocks will also provide a useful starting point for discussions that will better define what the Stream Tone should, or could, be. Such discussions may also help to identify the most efficient and effective approach for building and deploying the Stream Tone quickly and cheaply. In an ideal world, the Stream Tone would be wholly created from existing knowledge, skills, techniques, technologies, and thinking. Understanding whether that ideal is possible will depend on both a better definition of what the Stream Tone is, and what potential building blocks are actually going to be available. Of course, at this stage, the Stream Tone building blocks are just a bunch of raw ingredients that have yet to be combined in any particularly tasty way.
Please Note: Each of the building blocks listed above is described in detail within the book (see pages 36 to 158).
3.2 PRECURSORS
A glimpse of tomorrow
A precursor is defined as something that announces, indicates, leads to, precedes, or suggests that which follows or succeeds it. A precursor can be something tangible, such as a component, device, technology, or tool, which could be used in some way to construct or inspire a successor. A precursor can also be something intangible, such as a concept, feeling, idea, sentiment, theory, or thought, which could form the emotional or intellectual basis for a successor.
The precursors of the Stream Tone suggest that a technology ecosystem like the Stream Tone could actually be created in the future, and give the Stream Tone a set of believable conceptual and technological foundations that are derived from current realities. The existence of relevant Stream Tone precursors also suggests that the effort required to create the Stream Tone may not be quite as great as initially imagined because a substantial amount of groundwork has already been successfully completed. The Stream Tone precursors are, conceptually and metaphorically speaking, the giants upon whose shoulders the Stream Tone will eventually stand. The Stream Tone precursors are effectively the real-world foundations of the Stream Tone. When viewed individually, no precursor can be exactly like the Stream Tone, because it would then be the Stream Tone, and universe is just not that helpful. An individual precursor will, at best, only be able to exhibit a limited number of aspects, characteristics, or qualities of the Stream Tone, as currently envisioned. However, when viewed collectively, the precursors exhibit nearly all of the aspects, characteristics, and qualities currently envisioned for the Stream Tone. Of course that does not mean that the Stream Tone can simply be built by combining the precursors together, only that many of the aspects, characteristics, and qualities currently envisioned for the Stream Tone already exist in the real-world, and that, at some level, creating something like the Stream Tone really is possible.
Successfully understanding precursor trends can give a degree of confidence that even though a particular Stream Tone building block may not be available today that it will most probably become available at some point in the future because it is also needed to support the evolution of a Stream Tone precursor. For example, today’s battery-powered portable personal computing devices, such as Smart-Phones and Tablet Computers, are likely to be the precursors of the Stream Tone Access Device (STAD). The power-efficiency of these devices is continually being improved so that they can be used for longer before requiring a battery recharge. The STAD should ideally be able to operate for many days, or even a week, on a single charge of its Lithium-Ion Battery. Is this possible today? No. Will it be possible at some point in the future? Most probably. How do we know this? By looking at the power-efficiency trends of the Stream Tone precursors.
Another way to think about the Stream Tone precursors is that they are the regulatory, societal, and technological stepping stones that lead to the eventual emergence of the Stream Tone. Regulatory precursors set foundational legal precedent that could be of critical importance to the Stream Tone, or grant legal permissions that enable the deployment of technologies that could eventually be used to construct the Stream Tone. For example, Regulations that grant permission to use currently restricted parts of a national radio spectrum could eventually provide the Stream Tone with wireless telecommunications that are highly affordable, high bandwidth, low latency, highly reliable, and ubiquitously available. Societal precursors help prepare society for the emotional and intellectual transition from local personal computing to Stream Tone-based Comprehensive Remote Personal Computing (CRPC). For example, a current File Hosting Service that reliably and securely stores personal data on the Web could help to build trust and understanding of CRPC-like services. So, as the adoption of Stream Tone-based CRPC starts to accelerate there should be much less resistance to this particular change simply because it will be seen by society as just the next logical step in a process that has already been under way for quite some time. Technological precursors confirm the existence and viability of technology from which the Stream Tone could eventually be built. For example, the widespread availability of Smart-Phones and Tablet Computers clearly demonstrates that some of the physical technologies that could be used to build a STAD are already available, mature, and in common use.
Of course, the degree and manner in which any precursor demonstrates an aspect, characteristic, or quality of the Stream Tone greatly varies. For some precursors it is very obvious, whilst for others it is much more subjective or even tenuous. Comparing things that exist today, such as the Stream Tone precursors, against something that does not yet exist, such as the Stream Tone, is always going to yield results that are open to a wide range of interpretations. Nevertheless, even at this very early stage in its life, some definite ideas about the Stream Tone already exist, and which can be compared to certain aspects of the real world. The results of such comparisons can, in many cases, be highly insightful, and can help to better define what the Stream Tone should ultimately become.
The precursors listed below are an eclectic mix that is mainly comprised of fully-working Web-based Services and currently-available physical technologies. Not all the Stream Tone precursors are the obvious choice, since the primary criterion for their inclusion in this particular section was not commercial success, popularity, or having been the first to market. Many of the precursors were selected because they appeared to exhibit a Stream Tone-like aspect, characteristic, or quality. Some of the precursors were selected because they appeared to demonstrate a real-world use of a Stream Tone building block. Some of the precursors were included because they were enabled by Regulations that permitted the use of previously restricted resources that may also benefit the Stream Tone at some point in the future. Whilst others were selected because they demonstrated an obvious societal acceptance of Web-based Services that wholly rely on continuous Internet connectivity in order to function; just like the Stream Tone will do.
The list of Stream Tone precursors should not be considered to be definitive or exhaustive, simply representative. They are a limited range of examples that are, in some way, suggestive of an aspect, characteristic, or quality of the Stream Tone, as currently envisioned. They have primarily been included in order to give the reader an opportunity to better understand the Stream Tone from the perspective of things that exist today; things that a reader of this book may even use on a regular basis. It should be noted that the Stream Tone precursors listed in this book represent a snapshot of things, such as Web-based Services and technologies, that existed when this book was written, and which may not exist as described in the future.
Please Note: Each of the precursors listed above is described in detail within the book (see pages 163 to 216).
3 THE PRESENT
The foundation of all our tomorrows
The Stream Tone will be a product of the present; it will be based on the knowledge, skills, techniques, technologies, thinking, and tools of today. This chapter considers some of the potential building blocks that could be used to create the Stream Tone, and some of the precursors that suggest that aspects of the Stream Tone may already exist today.
3.1 BUILDING BLOCKS
No need to start from scratch!
If you were an engineer tasked with creating the Stream Tone, as envisioned today, the following Stream Tone building blocks might be the knowledge, skills, techniques, technologies, and thinking that you would first select for inclusion in your toolbox. Of course, choosing the right set of tools for this particular job would be largely impossible as the Stream Tone has not yet been fully defined. So all you could really do at this stage would be to select tools that appeared useful, or that might help you to better understand what the Stream Tone actually is or could be. The Stream Tone building blocks are where the Stream Tone starts to become more than just an idea. They mark the point at which the Stream Tone starts to be definitively defined, as the sum of its potential parts, the point at which the Stream starts to enter reality.
Some of the Stream Tone building blocks, described in this section, are mature technologies that could readily be used to enable the creation of the Stream Tone, whilst others are just promising ideas, things that might be useful later on, and which, it would therefore, be wise to keep an eye on in the interim. Some of the building blocks are current Web-based Services that appear to be favourably shifting societal sentiment towards a future in which personal computing can be wholly-based on remotely-sourced services. Some of the building blocks will be required to create the foundational infrastructure of the Stream Tone, some will be required to create the many intermediates that will be needed on the Stream Tone's journey from inception to reality, and some will be required to bring the Stream Tone to full maturity. Consequently, there are quite a lot of them.
Even though the list of building blocks provided in this section appears to be quite substantial, it should not be considered exhaustive or definitive, simply representative. The building blocks were subjectively selected on the basis that they appear to have the potential to contribute, in some way, towards the creation of the Stream Tone, as currently envisioned. The building blocks have been provided to demonstrate that the Stream Tone could, theoretically, be built from a wide range of current knowledge, skills, techniques, technologies, and thinking, and that, even at this very early stage, the Stream Tone is hopefully much less science fiction, and more science fact.
Collectively, the Stream Tone building blocks define the physical and intellectual environment, the primordial soup, as it were, from which the Stream Tone will eventually emerge, and by better understanding the ingredients in that soup it is possible to better understand the Stream Tone. The building blocks will also provide a useful starting point for discussions that will better define what the Stream Tone should, or could, be. Such discussions may also help to identify the most efficient and effective approach for building and deploying the Stream Tone quickly and cheaply. In an ideal world, the Stream Tone would be wholly created from existing knowledge, skills, techniques, technologies, and thinking. Understanding whether that ideal is possible will depend on both a better definition of what the Stream Tone is, and what potential building blocks are actually going to be available. Of course, at this stage, the Stream Tone building blocks are just a bunch of raw ingredients that have yet to be combined in any particularly tasty way.
- ACCELEROMETER
- AERIAL PLATFORM NETWORK
- AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR
- ANAMORPHIC STRETCH TRANSFORM
- APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE
- APPLICATION-SPECIFIC INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
- APPLICATION STORE
- APPLICATION STREAMING
- ARM VERSION 8
- ASYMMETRIC MULTILEVEL OUTPHASING
- AUTOSTEREOSCOPIC DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
- BACKWARD INCOMPATIBILITY
- BAROMETER
- BLUETOOTH
- BROWSER-BASED OPERATING SYSTEM
- CAPACITIVE SENSING
- CERTIFICATION MARK
- CHACHA20-POLY1305
- CLOUD COMPUTING
- CODED TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL
- COGNITIVE RADIO
- COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE
- COMPRESSION
- CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK
- DAALA
- DATA CENTRE
- DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
- DISTRIBUTED-INPUT-DISTRIBUTED-OUTPUT
- DYNAMIC ADAPTIVE STREAMING OVER HTTP
- ELECTRICALLY POWERED SPACECRAFT PROPULSION
- ELECTRONIC PAPER
- ELECTRONIC PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT TOOL
- ENCRYPTION
- ENERGY STAR
- ERROR-CORRECTING CODE MEMORY
- FAIR, REASONABLE, AND NON-DISCRIMINATORY LICENSING
- FIELD-PROGRAMMABLE GATE ARRAY
- FIFTH-GENERATION MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
- FILE HOSTING SERVICE
- FOUNDATION
- FOURTH-GENERATION MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
- FREE AND OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE
- FREE LOSSLESS AUDIO CODEC
- FREEMIUM
- G.993.5
- GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
- GNU/LINUX
- GYROSCOPE
- H.264
- H.265
- HARD DISK DRIVE
- HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTING
- HOSTED DESKTOP
- HYPERTEXT MARKUP LANGUAGE VERSION 5
- HYPERTEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL 2.0
- HYPERTEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL SECURE
- IMAGE SENSOR
- INDIUM GALLIUM ZINC OXIDE BACKPLANE
- INSTANT MESSAGING
- INTERNET
- INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE
- INTERNET MEDIA TYPE
- INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6
- INTERNET TELEVISION SERVICE
- KA BAND
- LIFESTREAMS
- LINUX
- LITHIUM-ION BATTERY
- LIVE CD
- MAGNETOMETER
- MASSIVELY MULTI-PLAYER ON-LINE GAME
- MESH NETWORK
- MODULAR DESIGN
- MP3
- MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
- NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATION
- NETWORKED PERIPHERAL
- OPEN-SOURCE HARDWARE
- OPENCORES
- OPENFLOW
- OPENSTACK
- OPERATING SYSTEM-LEVEL VIRTUALISATION
- OPTICAL FIBRE
- OPTICAL ORTHOGONAL FREQUENCY-DIVISION MULTIPLEXING
- OPUS
- ORBX.JS
- ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE DISPLAY SCREEN
- PHASE-CONJUGATED TWIN WAVES
- PHOTOVOLTAICS
- PHYSICAL TO VIRTUAL
- POWER OVER ETHERNET
- PROXIMITY SENSOR
- RADIO OVER FIBRE
- REAL-TIME STREAMING PROTOCOL
- REAL-TIME TRANSPORT PROTOCOL
- REDUCED INSTRUCTION SET COMPUTING
- REDUCING INTERNET TRANSPORT LATENCY
- REGULATION
- REMOTE FRAMEBUFFER
- ROAMING AGREEMENT
- SINGLE SIGN-ON
- SITE-SPECIFIC BROWSER
- SMALL CELL
- SMART ANTENNA
- SMART-PHONE
- SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO
- SOLID-STATE DRIVE
- SPEEX
- STREAMED SERVICES
- STREAMING MEDIA
- SUBMARINE COMMUNICATIONS CABLE
- SYMMETRICAL BROADBAND
- SYSTEM ON A CHIP
- TABLET COMPUTER
- THEORA
- THIN CLIENT
- TRANSFLECTIVE LIQUID-CRYSTAL DISPLAY
- UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION
- UNLIMITED DATA PLAN
- VIRTUAL MACHINE
- VISIBLE LIGHT COMMUNICATION
- VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL
- VORBIS
- VORTEX RADIO
- VP8
- VP9
- WEB
- WEB-BASED SERVICES
- WEB BROWSER
- WEB DESKTOP
- WEB REAL-TIME COMMUNICATION
- WEBP
- WI-FI
- WIFOX
- WORLD WIDE WEB CONSORTIUM
- X264
- X265
- ZOPFLI
Please Note: Each of the building blocks listed above is described in detail within the book (see pages 36 to 158).
3.2 PRECURSORS
A glimpse of tomorrow
A precursor is defined as something that announces, indicates, leads to, precedes, or suggests that which follows or succeeds it. A precursor can be something tangible, such as a component, device, technology, or tool, which could be used in some way to construct or inspire a successor. A precursor can also be something intangible, such as a concept, feeling, idea, sentiment, theory, or thought, which could form the emotional or intellectual basis for a successor.
The precursors of the Stream Tone suggest that a technology ecosystem like the Stream Tone could actually be created in the future, and give the Stream Tone a set of believable conceptual and technological foundations that are derived from current realities. The existence of relevant Stream Tone precursors also suggests that the effort required to create the Stream Tone may not be quite as great as initially imagined because a substantial amount of groundwork has already been successfully completed. The Stream Tone precursors are, conceptually and metaphorically speaking, the giants upon whose shoulders the Stream Tone will eventually stand. The Stream Tone precursors are effectively the real-world foundations of the Stream Tone. When viewed individually, no precursor can be exactly like the Stream Tone, because it would then be the Stream Tone, and universe is just not that helpful. An individual precursor will, at best, only be able to exhibit a limited number of aspects, characteristics, or qualities of the Stream Tone, as currently envisioned. However, when viewed collectively, the precursors exhibit nearly all of the aspects, characteristics, and qualities currently envisioned for the Stream Tone. Of course that does not mean that the Stream Tone can simply be built by combining the precursors together, only that many of the aspects, characteristics, and qualities currently envisioned for the Stream Tone already exist in the real-world, and that, at some level, creating something like the Stream Tone really is possible.
Successfully understanding precursor trends can give a degree of confidence that even though a particular Stream Tone building block may not be available today that it will most probably become available at some point in the future because it is also needed to support the evolution of a Stream Tone precursor. For example, today’s battery-powered portable personal computing devices, such as Smart-Phones and Tablet Computers, are likely to be the precursors of the Stream Tone Access Device (STAD). The power-efficiency of these devices is continually being improved so that they can be used for longer before requiring a battery recharge. The STAD should ideally be able to operate for many days, or even a week, on a single charge of its Lithium-Ion Battery. Is this possible today? No. Will it be possible at some point in the future? Most probably. How do we know this? By looking at the power-efficiency trends of the Stream Tone precursors.
Another way to think about the Stream Tone precursors is that they are the regulatory, societal, and technological stepping stones that lead to the eventual emergence of the Stream Tone. Regulatory precursors set foundational legal precedent that could be of critical importance to the Stream Tone, or grant legal permissions that enable the deployment of technologies that could eventually be used to construct the Stream Tone. For example, Regulations that grant permission to use currently restricted parts of a national radio spectrum could eventually provide the Stream Tone with wireless telecommunications that are highly affordable, high bandwidth, low latency, highly reliable, and ubiquitously available. Societal precursors help prepare society for the emotional and intellectual transition from local personal computing to Stream Tone-based Comprehensive Remote Personal Computing (CRPC). For example, a current File Hosting Service that reliably and securely stores personal data on the Web could help to build trust and understanding of CRPC-like services. So, as the adoption of Stream Tone-based CRPC starts to accelerate there should be much less resistance to this particular change simply because it will be seen by society as just the next logical step in a process that has already been under way for quite some time. Technological precursors confirm the existence and viability of technology from which the Stream Tone could eventually be built. For example, the widespread availability of Smart-Phones and Tablet Computers clearly demonstrates that some of the physical technologies that could be used to build a STAD are already available, mature, and in common use.
Of course, the degree and manner in which any precursor demonstrates an aspect, characteristic, or quality of the Stream Tone greatly varies. For some precursors it is very obvious, whilst for others it is much more subjective or even tenuous. Comparing things that exist today, such as the Stream Tone precursors, against something that does not yet exist, such as the Stream Tone, is always going to yield results that are open to a wide range of interpretations. Nevertheless, even at this very early stage in its life, some definite ideas about the Stream Tone already exist, and which can be compared to certain aspects of the real world. The results of such comparisons can, in many cases, be highly insightful, and can help to better define what the Stream Tone should ultimately become.
The precursors listed below are an eclectic mix that is mainly comprised of fully-working Web-based Services and currently-available physical technologies. Not all the Stream Tone precursors are the obvious choice, since the primary criterion for their inclusion in this particular section was not commercial success, popularity, or having been the first to market. Many of the precursors were selected because they appeared to exhibit a Stream Tone-like aspect, characteristic, or quality. Some of the precursors were selected because they appeared to demonstrate a real-world use of a Stream Tone building block. Some of the precursors were included because they were enabled by Regulations that permitted the use of previously restricted resources that may also benefit the Stream Tone at some point in the future. Whilst others were selected because they demonstrated an obvious societal acceptance of Web-based Services that wholly rely on continuous Internet connectivity in order to function; just like the Stream Tone will do.
The list of Stream Tone precursors should not be considered to be definitive or exhaustive, simply representative. They are a limited range of examples that are, in some way, suggestive of an aspect, characteristic, or quality of the Stream Tone, as currently envisioned. They have primarily been included in order to give the reader an opportunity to better understand the Stream Tone from the perspective of things that exist today; things that a reader of this book may even use on a regular basis. It should be noted that the Stream Tone precursors listed in this book represent a snapshot of things, such as Web-based Services and technologies, that existed when this book was written, and which may not exist as described in the future.
- ACER C710-2055
- AFRICAN COAST TO EUROPE SUBMARINE COMMUNICATIONS CABLE
- ALCATEL-LUCENT 400G PHOTONIC SERVICE ENGINE
- BBC IPLAYER RADIO
- CITRIX HIGH-DEFINITION USER EXPERIENCE SYSTEM ON A CHIP
- DROPBOX
- FREE ZONE
- GAIKAI
- GOOGLE DATA CENTRE, QUILICURA
- HEWLETT-PACKARD PHOTOSMART 7520 E-ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER
- HYLAS 2
- JOLIDRIVE
- LAGOA
- LG 55G2
- MOLTEN DESKTOP-AS-A-SERVICE
- NETFLIX
- NVIDIA VGX-K1
- ONLIVE
- OPERA
- PEPPERMINT
- QUALCOMM MDM9625
- QUALCOMM RF360 FRONT END SOLUTION
- SHARP AQUOS ZETA SH-02E
- SINGAPORE THIRD-GENERATION MOBILE QUALITY OF SERVICE FRAMEWORK
- SIRI
- SKYPE
- SO-NET NURO LIGHT
- SOUNDHOUND
- TELSTRA MOBILE BROADBAND
- TIGHTVNC
- TWITCH
- UBISLATE 7C+
- UNITED KINGDOM DIGITAL DIVIDEND
- VIASAT EXEDE INTERNET
- WEB 2.0 CALC
- WHATSAPP MESSENGER
- WILMINGTON TELEVISION WHITE SPACES BROADBAND NETWORK
- WORLD OF WARCRAFT
- YOUTUBE
- ZEROPC
- ZOHO.COM
Please Note: Each of the precursors listed above is described in detail within the book (see pages 163 to 216).
Errata for the book can be found here