Wellcome to my little corner of cyberspace. In saying this, I am reminded of the day some 8 years ago - a time when the 'Net is still at its infancy - when I put together my first personal web site. Yes, you may have guessed, back then I used to call my site "my little corner in cyberspace".
That simple site (not that this site is that complex) have long since evaporated into the void that is cyberspace. No trace of it can be found now; it now only exists in some deep recesses of my memories. I wonder whether it may be in one of my old computer archive - definitely something to check up one when I have time.
So who am I? No one of any significance really. Ok, perhaps depend on who you talk to : ) But to most people I dare say my existence is neither here nor there. In fact, the word "transparent" came readily to mind.
I'm just a guy who like mucking around with this medium that is now known as the internet, or more precisely, the world wide web (WWW).
What is this web page about? This is a question that I have considered many times but have not yet been able to come up with anything that I am satisfy with. The best answer is no answer!
Ok. What do you expect? This is a personal web site pure and simple. It doesn't sell or paddle any goods or services (ie. it is not an online store, obviously). It has no political or religious agenda (except perhaps noting my own views on these matters). To the extent that it documents my thinkings and understandings (informed by ad hoc researches) on areas like science, technology and religion (especially christianity) it is hopefully informative, or at least provides some minor entertainment values. If you are intrigued or amused or just want to communicate send me a quick email.
This web site allows me to release some creative energy. It allows me to something different (as in different to my work) for a change. It also allows me to learn or try out new things - this php prgramming/ scripting language is quite fun!
Ever since the emergence of the www, I've became somehow naturally attracted to it. It is not quite like duck to water, but it is close.
It is a medium that is both simple and useful. It is simple because it is not diffiuclt to publish anything on this medium. This can be contrasted with the printed medium. HTML is easy to learn. The modern additions, such as scriptings, cascading style sheets, XHTML, etc, are more complex, but the beauty of the system is that you don't need to use these features. Pure HTML still works fine (although much capabilities will be lost without using the mordern additions).
With this simplicity comes its usefulness. It opens the door to great wealth of information quickly and easily. One feel a sheer sense of power in being able to access such a vast range of information. The old adage that "Information is Power" rings very true with this medium. In recent times, RSS is simply great!
Some people raise the issue of information overload in this medium (and also in our day and age in general). I can agree with this. With so much information it has came to a stage where it has became difficult to search through all the information to find the items you are looking for. Search engines are great. And they are undoubtedly getting better too. But they are only good if you know what you are looking for, or at least have a clear idea of what you are looking for. What if you don't?
As we move into the future and this medium grows, we need a better way to manage all the information. That is, not just accessing the information. Technology beyong simple search is needed. For a start there is a need to coordinate all the information, not just online but all the information on our computers at home (or at work). Then there is a need for a way to make better sense out of all the information.
A lot of things are heppening. This www++ is only going to get lots more interesting in the coming years.
Raymond Yu
August 2004