Re: Welcome to 'tool' confusion

From: Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Date: Tue Apr 24 2001 - 02:22:20 PDT


Lucas Gonze wrote:
>
> My money says that it is far easier to account for transient nodes in software

My moneys says I'll build me a wearable when a megapixel 30 degree opening angle
display is down to a kilobuck. (I'll probably won't even wait that long, and will
settle for a crappy SVGA resolution, and a cellphone as wireless modem).

> than to build fat always-on pipes to every square inch of the globe. Assuming

Vacuum has a nice property: it propagates electromagnetic radiation. Physics
doesn't forbid you having a TBps pipe if you're in line of sight to an optical
router. Also, this universe is kind enough to allow orbits, which enables you
to hang the skies with sufficient amount of hardware to dim the sunlight (no
need to get that extreme, a few 100 microsats launched for a few megabucks
will give you global coverage with quite a few kbps).

> that developing nations will get always-on connectivity, when even Silicon
> Valley doesn't have it w/out plenty of trouble, is a mistake.

Right now every spot of the earth has got always-on connectivity, it's just
it's not broadband, and most people can't afford it. Haul to LEO is getting
cheaper year by year, though, and them sats are getting smaller and brighter.



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