Forget the Internet of Things

… or The Internet of Everything and the Webdeveloper

Let’s go sci-fi: In a not far away future, the biochips interwoven with your lungs request a batch of biodegradable cell-repair nanobots from a local producer. The lungs obviously took some damage, you just can’t remember from what. Unfortunately, you have your brain’s database backup on another planet, since you ditched the crystal brain hard-drive for a quantum processor to enhance decision making. As you wait for the sync to happen you request a feed of Reuters, the state of your house and the whereabouts and wellbeing of your family - while your heart throttles itself on recommendation of the cloud doctors to counter the sudden onset of stress due to information overflow. And all of that hands free!

Fact is …

… whatever we will be able to quantify, we will hook up to a digital net. And that hooking up usually will happen through some kind of sensors, that is, until we can mold artificial and biological nerve endings and figure out how to process the raw data.

Another fact is, the internet of things and everything else we will be able to hook up wont be propagated through the DIY community. The simple reason being missing UX/UI and marketing skills, respectively resources. We have a very strong global maker scene, we have open and cheap hardware and tons of tutorials on numerous vivid community plattforms and hackspaces. But it still needs a tinkerer to tinker.

Maybe I’m wrong, but probably not. Any- and either way, we’re looking towards a super-connected world, super-imposed by big players. I believe the super-connected world will come on less disruptive then generally wished the onset will be. More like mobile phones and less like the www - until we will be able to hook up biological matter to the digital. That will be a game changer.

And what about the webdeveloper?

Yes, I’m glad you ask. Webdeveloper have an important role in today’s information ecology. Just imagine what Facebook did to society and economy likewise. Webdevs are among those who route information and are on the front of those who connect information and people. Webdevs are those who use, produce and most importantly, request APIs. That will be a very valuable skill in the coming super-connected world. Because let’s face it, gone are the days where every plattforms offers it’s data for free for a greater utopian cause.

Not much will change from the current practice of hording data and datastreams. But I believe that the current APIs exist, because we demanded them and the companies who offer them realized, that completely closed source hurts the business. APIs enable you to tie yourself into a bigger web of dependencies and fasten your grounds.

I’m pretty sure there are enough articles about the benefits, pros and cons and types of APIs. There are also already companies who produce APIs out of information patterns.

Humans are prone to forget the things in between, the connections, the stuff in flux. We humans are state bound people. But I’d love to imagine the web as an organic, ever changing structure and put value much more on the inbetween then the states it can have.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a front- or backend developer. Learn about APIs (APIs, APIs, APIs), produce them, consume them, request them and let information flow and not be free.

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