Vint Cerf

The Internet, a global system of interconnected computer networks that has transformed the lives of billions of people across the world, turned 30 on Tuesday.

The Enigma cypher machine used by the German military in World War II is still a tough nut to crack today. The total number of ways it can be configured for every letter is around 150 million million million. That's enough to keep it beyond the reach of all but the most determined of brute force attacks.

Few companies inspire the awe — and the dread about privacy concerns — that Google does, because of its search engine, Google maps and its Street View imagery, its Gmail e-mail and other cloud-based services.

Vint Cerf is one of the most decorated people in the technology field, and with good reason: He co-designed the TCP/IP protocols and was one of the Internet’s original architects. Here are Cerf’s thoughts on such industry recognitions and related topics.