Virtual Anthropology

By definition Anthropology is: study of humankind: the study of humankind in all its aspects, especially human culture or human development. It differs from sociology in taking a more historical and comparative approach.

But what is Virtual Anthropology in my mind? It is studying humankind online and in virtual worlds. Yeah, worlds, and not world. It also has another dimension. It's about studying people online about what they do offline (as well as online).

At this point in time as virtual anthropologist, we have limited means to look at people's lives. But there are some good suggested ways (by trendwatching.com) to be on your way to become a Virtual Antropolgist because we all know that everyone of us is looking for the next big thing.

The December 2005 edition trendwatching.com appears here may be posted here.

I don't know for sure, but I'd say that big companies must have Anthroplogists as well as Psychologists on their staff. They'd come in very valuable to make a dent on the next big invention.

Software platform versus ecosystem

A slight change in terminology is brewing as a result of "Web 2.0" web-enabled software paradigm. It used to be (and still is) that we'd call a software running on a "platform". It may be more appropriate to now call, not the OS, but the environment that all of our future software is running on and kept as an "Ecosystem" or "Eco-System."

"While 'platform' and 'eco-system' are both reasonably apt metaphors for the abstract world of software, the latter term better describes the open, networked world that encompasses a variety of computing architectures."

Macrodobe

This deal allows for Adobe to have a set of Web 2.0 applications ready to go. This may be in the plans but I would say that Adobe should use its muscles and dominance in PDF to create a web-based filesharing document management system as a service. Although everyone nowadays in getting into this mode of Web 2.0, Adobe may be thinking of the next big thing. It'll always remain true say that companies, with longterm plans on their minds, should look for where they'd think the puck will be, and not where it is now.

Adobe's Acquisition of Macromedia Expected to Close on December 3, 2005