Why the Mediterranean Is the Net's Achilles' Heel 195
An anonymous reader writes "A spate of broken cables has brought disruption for many of the world's Web users in 2008 — and the Med has been at the center of the problems. For political reasons, the Mediterranean Sea is an Internet bottleneck through which the majority of traffic between Europe and Asia is squeezed. That traffic must run the gauntlet of earthquakes and heavy maritime traffic to reach its destination. Better and stronger cables are urgently needed to avoid a re-occurrence of the 2008 outages."
Internet Mythology 101 (Score:5, Funny)
Why the Mediterranean Is the Net's Achilles' Heel
Becuase Radia Perlman [slashdot.org] held the Internet by the Mediterranean when she dipped it into the river Styx [wikipedia.org]?
Re:Internet Mythology 101 (Score:3, Funny)
It sounds more like this is the internet's jugular vein or carotid artery than the achilles heel, just to pointlessly analyze the metaphor. I would think the achilles heel would be people who still don't know not to click the monkey or open attachments from addresses they don't know.
heh (Score:5, Funny)
I never had any issues any of the times this happened. I was able to do all the stuff I normally do and visit all the sites I normally visits. This leads me to conclude that the solution is rather simple. The people who are affected by these outages should do something.
easy fix (Score:5, Funny)
Re:not stronger cables... bigger mines attached ;) (Score:4, Funny)
2. hire ships to "drop anchor" on internet cables
3. ???
4. PROFIT!!!
Re:It really, really does (Score:2, Funny)
Ha! Joke's on you! They pay us in SCO stock....
optical links (Score:5, Funny)
Due to the distance and bandwidth needed, powerful lasers would be needed.
Since vast stretches of open water need to be covered, an aquatic platform would be needed, one that could be repositioned for optimal spacing or to avoid obstacles.
Unlike other gratuitous mentions, this really is a case were we could use some frikin sharks, with frikin lasers mounted on their heads.
Re:Jeez. (Score:2, Funny)
In the 90s it was backhoes. Now it's giant cable-eating squid. What next, volcanic eruptions? Really, the problem is two-fold -- first, cables break
Great point. I suggest lasers.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/07/14/lucent_highlights_laser_networking_system/ [theregister.co.uk]
O Brave Achilles (Score:4, Funny)
Don't worry, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia! I know your Internet access hangs rather perilously, but calm yourself! I've written a song about it!
(somber, drum beat a la "Ballad of the Green Berets")
O Brave Achilles
Your packets spill
Through the Black Sea
and the Dardanelles
A hero bold
So proud and true
The finest bits
Traverse his tubes
But when the Fates
Judge the big wet
Will their fell looms
Cut the Internet?
(LUTE SOLO)
Re:easy fix (Score:1, Funny)
Well, which is it? Pirates or ducks?
Maybe (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe Cthulhu will quit trashing the lines if we offer to set him up a frame r'lyeh switch back at his pad. You know he's all about pirating the tentacle pr0n.
Re:O Brave Achilles (Score:5, Funny)
Every song should have a lute solo.
Re:Jeez. (Score:5, Funny)
Seriously, though, blaming the problem on economics is a copout.
Not all of us type "KeyserSoze 10000" at the console whenever faced with a gold shortage.
Why are costs to lay redundant cables so high?
Perhaps designing something that is several thousand miles long, and under several hundred PSI of pressure, to lay at the bottom of an environment that contains sulphuric acid plumbs, volcanic pits, and large numbers of angry monsters, is not easy.
What can be done to convince the telcos that laying redundant cables is a good idea? What can tip the CBA to the B side?
Threats of violence, regulation, and regular bombing of the opposition has worked well for us in other areas.
How much money do the telcos lose when a line goes down? Over time, is that more than the cost of running redundant lines?
Obviously, it is not more than the cost of running redundant lines or they would have done so by now.
So yes, it's economics, but saying it's economics is glossing over the important details.
Circular logic works because circular logic works because circular logic works because circular logic works because circular logic works because...
Re:Internet Mythology 101 (Score:5, Funny)
I saw a program about a guy that was actually taken prisoner for stumbling onto a fairly major conspiracy in order to keep him quiet. He had discovered that flu vaccine was being tainted in order to send people into a shopping frenzy just before the holiday season. He was taken to an island with others that had stumbled onto various things that couldn't be allowed to slip into public knowledge (the secret for turning water into gasoline, etc).
IIRC, he escaped on a boat built by another prisoner (Number 6) that was built out of toilet paper and scabs. It was small and smelly, but carried him to safety.
Actually, Gauntlet == Gantlet, chief... (Score:1, Funny)
It's always fun to get to use a pompous, self-indulgent know-it-all's own "sources" against him.
http://www.bartleby.com/68/95/2695.html
Conspiracy Theories (Score:1, Funny)
I think that the US govt should just provide Europe and Asia a free, high speed satellite link for all their traffic to route thru instead of thru undersea cables. The traffic will be all safe and reliable, and of course would be 100% snoopage free.
Re:Internet Mythology 101 (Score:5, Funny)
Don't they teach you kids Greek Mythology anymore?
That was the movie with Brad Pitt in it, right? I saw that and 300...what more do I need to know? :)
Re:Three words (Score:1, Funny)
I'll just have to get redundant anchors then. ;)
Re:Gauntlet != Gantlet (Score:3, Funny)
Re:O Brave Achilles (Score:2, Funny)
lute solo
Is that Han's younger brother?
Re:Jeez. (Score:5, Funny)
So yes, it's economics, but saying it's economics is glossing over the important details.
Circular logic works because circular logic works because circular logic works because circular logic works because circular logic works because...
I'm with you so far, but then what?
Re:Internet Mythology 101 (Score:5, Funny)
You need to rent Clash of the Titans to complete your education.
Re:This just in... 3 More cut, Not in the Med. (Score:3, Funny)
It's just gotten a lot of attention lately because of the attached conspiracy theorists looking to "prove" that Bush was going to attack Iran (he didn't).
He's still got six days left! Watch the news next Monday, I'm telling ya!
Re:Internet Mythology 101 (Score:4, Funny)
Be fair now... In the 60s and 70s, everyone was "funding mind control research" using LSD.
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