The hottest things on the Net!

They are the hottest new things on the Net. And they are catching on like wildfire. The disruptive technology which powers them could dramatically alter the way we read, listen, express ourselves and even do business.

Wiki, Podcasting and Google Earth are things that are challenging the time-tested and established institutions such as newspapers, radio encyclopaedia and the Atlas.

Wiki

For decades these were the bibles for checking out word meanings and references. Instead, get on to the Net and go to Wikipedia -- a free encyclopaedia where content is created by Net enthusiasts across the globe.

Wikipedia's English version, that took off four years ago, already has an amazing over 640,000 articles ranging on topics from the Taj Mahal to the London tube.

Podcasting

Welcome to podcasting. It is simply a pre recorded radio or audio show, or an audioblog that can be downloaded at leisure and heard on the computer, an MP3 digital player and, of course, on the Apple iPod. The podcast listeners' global market is estimated to be 6 million. And 29 per cent of iPod users around the world have downloaded MP3 files. (There are 8,000 podcast stations around the world).

But will it be a big market in India? Says Trehan: "It might not emerge as large as in the west, but it will be significant. . ."

Google Earth

Still not content, you could peep into the famous Macy's store on Thirty Fourth Street.

Dreaming? Well, no. The new world view is a reality, thanks to Google Earth -- Google's new satellite imagery based mapping product which combines 3D buildings and terrains with mapping capability. All this is combined with the power of Google search.

Competition in these areas is bound to come. But for Net users studying geography or publishing their works will never be the same again.