Clamorous computing [Technically Speaking]

Technology should become more self-effacing. In 1988, Xerox parc computer scientist (and later CTO) Mark Weiser put forward the idea of-and coined the term-ubiquitous computing. Sometimes shortened to ubicomp, it refers to the seamless integration of computing resources into most of the objects that people use to perform the activities of daily life. Today we´re more likely to call it pervasive computing or everyware. We´re not quite there, despite newfangled appliances such as smart TVs and smart refrigerators, but modern computing does have a pervasive feel to it. That feel comes mostly from the gadgets like smartphones and tablets (and soon, wearables like Google Glass) that we routinely carry around with us. Thanks to cellular connections and Wi-Fi networks, we have near-constant access to computing power and online data, giving us what might be called near-ubiquitous computing. It´s not quite the ambient intelligence envisioned by ubicomp fans, but it´s a step or three in that direction.