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Where is the computer?

Take a look around you.  Can you spot the computer in your apartment, in your living room?

They're all around us, in places we never counted on before.  The microwave?  Many have an increasingly complex computational power.

At our last clothes washer replacement cycle, we bought a Maytag, one with an electronic , not mechanical, controller.  It provides just the right amount of water, and during the spin cycle, it controls the speed to unheard of rpms--wringing out more water and making the dryer more efficient.

The Mercury Van?  It is a wild amount of processing that controls the seat position, pedal position, etc.  Using the right terminal, er, diagnostics device, you can enable all kinds of  features in CMOS, er, the ECM.

And soon, all of these devices will talk to the Internet, one of the many reasons for IPv6's wild amount of address space.  Imagine your refrigerator's ability to order replacement food on your behalf?

So how long will it be before that Internet conduit begins code updates?

Will the wild world of embedded devices avoid the problems our personal computers faced, once they were connected to public, international networks?

Wait and see.


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