InterPlaNET - Connecting the Universe.

I recently had the honor of meeting Vint Cerf, the father of the Internet. Some feel that the world wide web and the internet are synonymous, this is not the case.

The Internet is the worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web.

Simply put, internet is how the computers physically communicates with one another and the web is a collection of documents and how they communicate with their storehouses (servers) and end users.


I attended a conference where Dr. Cerf addressed the Media. The room was filled with about 600 people who had come to hear the Internet Evangelist's sermon. Even at the age of 64 Vint Cerf is as perky as ever. He started with explaining what the internet is and how it began.

United States Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was the first in the world to experience the world of the internet. The networked computers in the facility was called ARPANET. It was Cerf's initiative to get the internet out into the market as a commercial tool and here are we today, all networked and interconnected.

Had he not taken this initiative, there would be no blogs, no emails etc etc, you get the drift. By commercializing the Internet, we have one of the largest interconnected networks in the world. But why stop there? Dr. Cerf talked about connecting the entire Universe using this technology.

He explained that the bots in Mars are not able to transfer data as quickly and efficiently as possible. It takes approximately 20 minutes to get data from Mars. As the bots move to the far side of the planet the connection between the bots and the satellites is lost and this leads to time lag and delay in acquiring data.

Dr. Cerf is overseeing a project by NASA which will help receive InterPlaNET or interplanetary internet. This will help us get the information we require from the Red planet quicker to Earth. Colonization may not be too far.

A few things kept running through my head during the conference and I am grateful that some of the audience brought out those questions.

The first thing that strikes me about Dr. Cerf is the unlikely resemblance he has to the Architect in the Matrix. When asked whether he was approached by the makers of the movie to have a character like him, he said no but he was really excited to understand how the world looks at him.


It is amazing how abuse prevalent anywhere and everywhere. You see that internet is now a center for abuse through a variety of different ways. The internet is the reflection of society, you can't change the mirror, but to change the reflection you must change the society. The power of the web is in our hands, it should make us feel responsible for what has been endowed to us.

Here is some urban legend that might interest you guys "Surfing the net" originated from the first data sent over the internet by Vint Cerf during his time at the DARPA. Phonetically it can be written as "Cerfing the net"! Here is something that'll get you thinking ....

I was awed and still am awed after meeting him. It is unbelievable, the humility and brilliance this man possesses. He has the power to say that what he created changed the world as we know it.

I found this short interview with Dr. Vint Cerf on Youtube, which might be interesting to you guys. Check it out.