Bill Gates once said something to the effect that if the automobile industry had changed, as fast, technologically, as the computer industry had in the last 10 years, we would all be flying to work in hovercrafts at 100 km per hour and getting 500 km per liter of fuel. Well, guess what? I know an industry that changing even faster than the PC market: the presentation technology industry.

What?

Well, imagine this. What if you could take the same technology that's used to tell time in a watch and make a projector from it? Guess what? We've done that.

What if you could use the same technology that used to connect to the Internet and use it to make a videophone call? Guess what? We've done that.

What if you could take the same technology that's used to store files on your computer to create an electronic photo album that will last for eternity? Guess what? We've done that.

What if you could take the same technology that's used to make a calculator and make a school text book that is issued to you in Grade School and you use that same text book until you graduate from University? Guess what? We've even done that.

Yep, technology is shaping every aspect of our lives and is changing the way we view, interact and experience the world. When I was growing up in North Carolina (USA), whenever I had to do a report for school, I went to the school library to use the "Reference section" of books. The Reference section included such staples as the encyclopedia, history books, biographies and dictionaries. All of these were needed to complete almost any report or essay in school. Yet, we weren't allowed to check them out of the library or take them home. So, we had to stay in school after hours until the librarian needed to go home (usually around 1800 hr.).


It's not done that way anymore.

Now we can access almost any kind of information we need through the Internet. Just about every historical event is cataloged on the Internet along with almost every book ever written. Now students all over the world can wait until the last possible moment to do their homework and use their Internet access to write a report an hour before it's due (and not have to hang around the library after school).

Singapore is the most connected nation in the world, according to a recent USA Today study. Well over 50% of its citizens have access to the Internet at work or at home, which is around 20% higher than the world average. That means Singaporians have potentially the greatest information access in the world. And, knowledge is power.

So, what's next and how will it effect the way we live and work? Well, before we explore that, let's take a look at where we are now and what's available to us so far.