Head in the Clouds

Cloud computing is on the way! A (very) Brief definition: Cloud computing is where you use the internet to access your software and data which is stored somewhere else.

Pros:
Have everything everywhere
Save memory space
Computer death does not equal file loss

Cons:
You NEED the internet (some stuff can be backed up)
Somebody else can see your stuff
A lot of these applications and programs are new and not always reliable

Now you may think that the idea of all of your information being... somewhere else is a little scary, and it is. There are some pretty hefty implications of putting all our eggs in one basket. Not to mention the fact that private institutions will be in charge of taking care of the basket (let's not forget the Verizon employees who lost their jobs for checking Obama's account activities).

Call me an optimist, but I trust the powers that be not to let anything get too out of control.
I recently picked up Google Docs along with Gears which lets you simultaneously download backup copies of the files you are working on as you create them. I used the slide show creator to work up two major projects. The software is pretty basic, but all the major functions are there. Best of all, the software is free, available at any computer. Even if I woke up in a ditch in South Dakota, I could stagger into the nearest public library and edit and print the latest revision of my abstract.

This kind of setup also allows access to software and data from devices like cell-phones, ipods and smaller laptops which would not be able to store large amounts of resources. Added bonus with these devices: they are in your pocket right now! So too could be all the data you ever needed. Imagine being able to use all your favorite software anywhere? Need to photoshop an image right now? Login. Want to play that game you just bought on your friends' laptop? You bet. Now all this stuff is down the road a bit, but is definitely feasible.

Pretty cool. I hope this really is where the tech market is going. If you're interested in applications that use this, check out MobileMe (for Macs only) and Google Docs.