A technology guru at Intel Corp. predict that the internet will look significantly different in five to 10 years, when much of it will be three dimensional, or 3D. Sean Koehl, a technology evangelist with Intel Labs, said technology is emerging that will one day change the way we interact with electronic devices and with each other. That could come as soon as five years from now when, he predicted, there will be realistic-looking three-dimensional applications.

'The Internet may never go fully 3-D, but making 3-D environments broadly accessible is probably capable within five years,' noted Koehl. 'I think it remains to be seen but there are certain kinds of interactions people will want in two dimensions, like reading text. The things we'll do in three dimensions may be things that we don't do at all on the Internet today because it isn't feasible.'

He explained that speeches at large conferences certainly aren't personal experiences to attendees. Creating a 3-D virtual world, ont he other hand, could let an audience member feel like he or she is sitting at a table with the speaker.

"I think it's going to give flexibility to let people really take advantage of virtual realities. The power to shape your environment would be dramatic," said Koehl.

"If you look at virtual worlds today, the graphics are a little behind," he added. "Once we get to a certain level of performance, the realism of the 3-D world will change by leaps and bounds. The realism could be like a Hollywood CGI (Computer-generated Imagery) movie in maybe 10 years." Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group, said a three-dimensional Internet would cause a big shift in the way we use the network.

"The introduction of a 3-D Internet, with the ultra-realistic representations of people and places, will definitely change things," he added. "We're going to be attending a lot more virtual meetings and fewer physical ones. This also will revolutionize entertainment. Why go to a sporting event, like a football game, when you can watch it in 3-D on the Net and position yourself anywhere in the stadium?"