Industry Veterans take a look back from 2025: Bio-Technology, and Bio-Informatics are the focus

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Panelists at the Demo 2003 conference offered insights into the next technology innovations by answering Producer, Chris Shipley's question, "If we look back in the year 2025 what will see as the big innovations?"

Mitch Kapor, Chairman of the Open Source Applications Foundation, and founder of Lotus, began the discussion by stating, "I would be hanging out in the Bio and Nano Technology space, its where the IT industry was 20 years ago."

Les Vadasz, Executive vice president, and one of the founders of Intel as well as President of Intel Capital, believes"technology will be the tool and Bio-Technology will be the application. Bio-Informatics requires tremendous computing power. We will look back and see huge advances in grid computing, sensory computing and computational engines"

Dan Bricklin, founder and CTO of Trellix- a company recently sold to Earthlink, as well as the and inventor of the electronic spreadsheet said, "We will look at wireless technology being "Hot" when it communicates with other systems. There has to be more cooperation among politicians and the industry. How we build robust systems will need to be advanced, as we are not in a closed community. Bricklin added "We will look back at huge advances in bio-engineering not just at the chemical level but, the structural level as well."

John Patrick, President of the Venture Capital firm Attitude, and former Executive VP of IBM's Internet Group, said, "the Internet is just in its infancy. The Internet will be the way we communicate. Voice over IP will be just a small part. Bloggers will give "Power to the People" by extending the ability of people to express themselves. Bloggers will connect networks of networks and content syndication will grow. It will turn publishing upside down. Today, everybody can be a journalist." Shipley responded to that by saying, "No. Today everyone thinks they are a journalist!" So what barriers exists that could inhibit the growth in the next 22 years? Patrick stated, "The barriers today are similar to 10 years ago. In 1993, CIO's were often quoted as saying, "Our Company will never be connected to the Internet. They looked at you as crazy, when you told them money will move over the Internet."

Mitch Kapor added, "10 years ago very few people new about DARPA (the defense agency that created the internet) or even know that the Internet was just over the horizon."