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You say, "The Semantic Web, you see, relies in large part on people tagging their online media "

Not true.

The semantic web is about data integration.
Most of the data is in existing databaes.
Much of it is currently exported in HTML and can be easily exported also in RDF using a tool like D2R Server.
Data comes from many sources. Calendars. Scientific measurements. Applications such as calendars, financial programs, and so on.

Yes, it is possible to write data into online media, but that (a) is very effort-intensive and (b) only covers a fraction of all the things data is about. I'm not holding my breath for that.

At the same conference, in the Linked Data session, you would have seen masses of interconnected data about people, places, proteins, genes, and so on. And there was a feeling of momentum and excitement.

The 'people tagging existing media' thing seems to be a common misunderstanding about the Semantic Web. The idea that quantum theory is simpler than triples, though, I have only seen here. :)

For those interested in seeing real-world Semantic Web biomedical research applications of R&D by international communities (i.e., social + science), let me direct you to an on-line demo:
http://esw.w3.org/topic/HCLS/Banff2007Demo

The size of the linked graph continues to grow!

cheers,
Eric

good article