The Web's awake: an introduction to the field of web science and the concept of web life
Philip Tetlow
abstract
Has the World Wide Web evolved into a new life form? The author of this provocative book, Philip Tetlow, presents a very compelling argument that it indeed has.
Drawing from theories originating in the natural sciences, mathematics, and information technology, The Web's Awake explores how the continued growth and increasing complexity of the Web are quickly outstripping our capability to control it. In other words, the Web has quite literally taken on a life of its own.
Stringently researched and clearly presented, the book examines a number of emergent characteristics and behaviors of the Web that have not been programmed, but rather have evolved. As the number and strength of these new Web characteristics and behaviors continue to increase, the author persuasively argues that the Web should be considered a living organism in its own right, a new post-human species consisting of a single member.
Having established a new understanding of what the Web is, the author next offers a remarkable perspective on how the Web is evolving towards independence. He further argues that understanding the Web's evolution as an act of nature enables us to better harness the Webs resources for the good of society.
While researchers in the emerging field of Web science have attempted to categorize what the Web is, this book takes a radically new approach that will change your understanding of the very nature and essence of the Web' what it is and where it is heading. Whether your interest lies in computing, information technology, evolution, physics, or biology, the author's clearly written, plain-English arguments are fascinating material for thought.
keywords
World Wide Web, computation, internet, web science, web
catalogue card
index
CHAPTER 1 THE WEB AND LIFE
CHAPTER 2 THE SPECTRUM OF COMPLEXITY
CHAPTER 3 THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCRETENESS AND SYMMETRY IN SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 4 NATURAL STRUCTURES FOR MAN-MADE MACHINES ? CURVATURE IN INFORMATION AND COMPUTATION
CHAPTER 5 POSITIONAL INFORMATION AND SCALE-FREE NETWORKS
CHAPTER 6 EVOLUTION THROUGHENGINEERING
CHAPTER 7 A LESS-THAN-SIMPLE MATTER OF BOUNDLESS ORGANICS
CHAPTER 8 EMERGENT INTELLIGENCE AND POSTHUMAN CONCEPTS
CHAPTER 9 THE PHYSICS OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTING
CHAPTER 10 COUNTER ARGUMENTS
CHAPTER 11 OBJECTIVE OPINIONS
APPENDIX A AN OUTLINE OF THE SEMANTIC WEB AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
APPENDIX B BEYOND THE SEMANTIC WEB
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