[Video] What is the Internet, really?

[Harold Mansfield]

When a squirrel chewed through a cable and knocked him offline, journalist Andrew Blum started wondering what the Internet was really made of. So he set out to go see it -- the underwater cables, secret switches and other physical bits that make up the net.

No I'm not being existential. Just watched this TED video with an author named Andrew Blum. It's about 11 minutes, and it gives a quick synapses of how the internet is just as physical (and vulnerable) as all of our other communications, in that, it is still hard wired around the world.

Worth a quick watch.
Andrew Blum: What is the Internet, really? | Video on TED.com (http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_blum_what_is_the_internet_really.html)

[vangogh]

First I have to say that every TED talk I've ever watched has been great. Never once a bad one. This one was no different. It's interesting to think about the internet as the wires and cables that connect us. It's true we don't really think about them much, except maybe when our connection isn't working. We probably should consider more the physical way we're all connected. I hadn't really thought about the cables across the ocean until watching this video, but I will now.

I agree it's worth a watch.

[Harold Mansfield]

I'd seen something a few years back about laying cable across the ocean floor, but for some reason I guess I assumed that by now it wasn't still done that way anymore. But I guess if you think about it, why wouldn't it? Every access point is a physical, wired connection. Even wifi and your smart phone are just short wireless transmissions that are just going to a receiver that is hard wired.

Kinda makes the whole thing seem kind of primative, and yet still amazing. I'll bet the people who strung the first morse code connection from one side of the country to the other, could have never dreamed of this. Actually....I guess they kind of did.

[billbenson]

The capacity of a fiber is incredible. I sold the stuff for a couple of years around 97. I never dealt with the trans ocean stuff, but the way they were doing it on land at that time is they would put in a 6 in pvc duct into the ground. They would then pull 4 subducts into it. The subducts were more flexible than the pvc. If you see on the side of the road telecom workers with a truck that has a 15 ft dia spool of tubing on the back, that's subduct.

So when they get the pvc and subduct in the ground they run fiber through it. Probably in just one subduct and the rest is for future expansion.

The way the put the fiber in the subduct is kind of interesting. They put a grommet / rubber plug sort of thing on the end of the cable. Then they pressurize the subduct. Kind of analogous to a blowing a dart through a dart gun. The machine also feeds the fiber cable. They can "blow" about a kilometer of cable in 20 minutes.

Here's a video of a cable installation if you are interested: Cable Blowing - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhBoZVpB0co)

As to thinking about the fiber network around the world. There isn't a technology today that I know of that could replace it. Microwave is just to slow for the capacity the world requires.

[Wozcreative]

Great video! All of Ted's videos are really interesting as they take your mind to explore an idea in a different way. I had no idea bout the amount of cables involved, I only assumed it was a satellite thing, goes to show you I have a lot more to learn! It's one of the reasons why I enjoy getting off the internet once in awhile, and go to conferences like this. It re-engergizes my knowledge and creativity.

Thanks for sharing!

[vangogh]

for some reason I guess I assumed that by now it wasn't still done that way anymore. But I guess if you think about it, why wouldn't it?

I was thinking the same thing. I guess we could use satellites instead of cables, but the signal still moves quicker across cables.

@Bill - Interesting video. We use this stuff all the time and it's so easy to forget all the work that goes into make sure the cable is there when we need it.


All of Ted's videos are really interesting as they take your mind to explore an idea in a different way.

I agree. I really can't remember ever watching a bad TED video. All the ones I've seen have been great and I like how they keep them under 20 minutes.

[vangogh]

I came across a map today and thought of this thread. It's a map of all the undersea cables (http://submarine-cable-map-2013.telegeography.com) connecting the internet around the world.

[johnmclaren101]

There cant be any particular way to describe the tool named Internet. It's just an arsenal in the hands of the humans which could be used as a major tool to make there social and professional front grow and flourish and generate revenue for the beholder. The use of the internet as a major marketing tool is now being practiced. The social media sites are now using the likes and shares of its users as a major tool to post ads to the profile of the users. So as we see that there are vast lying frontiers of this major tool named internet.