In the new war against terrorism, with its infinite possibilities for unpredictable violence, the military is attempting to understand jihad through the infinitely patient and dogged computer. The new breed of virtual war game is attempting to push into that unexplored terrain, drawing from a burgeoning field of artificial intelligence known as "agent technology."
Millions volunteer their home and office computers to crunch data over the Net to aid scientific and medical studies.
Researchers around the country already are developing the basic building blocks to create what is being dubbed the fully immersive Internet. They are hoping that in 10 to 15 years, the Internet no longer will be confined to computer desktops, two-way pagers, wireless phones and other digital gadgets. Instead, Internet users will be able to literally surround themselves with the global computer network.