I started my journey this year by researching learning objects (LOs).  What I found is that the learning object field seems to have spiked around 2004 with a flurry of books and articles pronouncing them as the next great invention in learning and instruction. I think what has happened, however, is that learning objects still hold  great promise for the future, especially in the area of mass personalized learning, but nobody is quite sure how to put it all together. So this creates a sort of drifting in the field while a few dedicated individuals continue to sort out whether learning objects are the future, or an eLearning dead end. I see it as something that we have to work out, because learning on demand with intelligent tutoring systems is really what is going to level the educational playing field. It will provide the opportunity for a personalized, quality education to every individual regardless of socioeconomic status or geographical location.