From the billions of documents that form the World Wide Web and the links that weave them together, computer scientists and a growing collection of start-up companies are finding new ways to mine human intelligence.
An overview of the semantic Web--an extension of the current Web-- that may act as a "collective memory," augmenting individual brain power and accelerating the pace of human learning and discovery. The author argues for guidance now to "avoid the emergence of a dystopian digital dictator."
Researchers are working on a new form of web markup that would enable machines to talk intelligently with other machines. It would be an extension of the current Web, a place where "information is given well-defined meaning, better enabling computers and people to work in cooperation," according to Tim Berners-Lee.
The Web is huge but not very smart. Computer scientists are beginning to build a "Semantic Web" that understands the meanings that underlie the tangle of information.
Technologists are working on what may be a key piece of the next generation of networks -- a ``Semantic Web'' where machines talk intelligently with other machines to solve all kinds of problems.
HTML revolutionized the way information is shared worldwide. Can a new language do the same for the human genome? Mark Pesce speculates on the potential for Gene Expression Markup Language to revolutionize genetic engineering.