journalist and author
Author of Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet; former technology writer for Wired and Newsweek magazines and contributing editor at Metropolis
PROFILE
Andrew Blum
Guest
FROM Andrew Blum
Design and Architecture
Undersea Cables Connect LA to the Pacific Rim The internet seems virtual but it’s “primarily made of fiber optic cables, cables filled with light,” according to “Tubes” author Andrew Blum. A manhole cover in Hermosa Beach is the access point for a transpacific fiber optic cable built by TyCom in 2002. Photo credit: Avishay Artsy. Those cables run under the oceans, “a space that's inhospitable to humans” says Nicole Starosielski, author of “The Undersea Network,” yet “enables the most high tech communications that we currently have.” Currently there is a splurge of undersea cable construction going on in the Pacific, connecting the Southland to the Pacific Rim and back to One Wilshire in downtown Los Angeles. One of the primary landing spots is the city of Hermosa Beach. DnA finds out why, what the benefits are to Hermosa Beach and why some places are not excited about hosting cable landings. South America (SAM-1) NSA/GCHQ-Tapped Undersea Cable Atlantic Ocean, 2015 C-Print 16 × 20 in. Copyright Trevor Paglen. Courtesy of the Artist, Metro Pictures New York, Altman Siegel San Francisco We also learn about what’s involved in laying the cables and hear from activist-artist Trevor Paglen about his quest to photograph them at the bottom of the deep dark sea. We also explore why Big Tech is getting into the business of owning the infrastructure. The Pacific Light Cable Network will be one of the biggest in the pipeline. Google and Facebook, along with partners in Asia, are building the nearly eight thousand mile long cable. Landing at Dockweiler Beach, it will connect Los Angeles and Hong Kong, and will be able to move data at a speed of 120 terabits per second. Google says that’ll make it possible to have 80 million concurrent HD video conference calls between Hong Kong and LA. But what are the implications of increased connectivity, when it feels like our data is out of our control?
To the Point
Comcast and the Internet's Future New deals involving Comcast and other companies could have an impact on the quality, content and price of your Internet service. If its merger with Time Warner Cable goes through, Comcast will be the dominant provider of broadband in the United States. The powerhouse content provider Netflix, so popular that it consumes something like 30% of all broadband action during evening hours, has already agreed to pay Comcast to guarantee quality service, and nobody knows who might be next. It's a deal that's being called a major game changer when it comes to Internet service, content and cost to consumers. Will Comcast be able to dictate what finally reaches millions of users? Will creative competitors have a chance? Will consumers pay more and get less?
Which Way, L.A.?
Is Internet Technology Really 'Clean' Technology? Internet companies tell computer users their data is stored on "The Cloud," and a lot of them worry it might be disturbed by the weather. In reality, "The Cloud" is million of severs in hundreds of warehouse-sized buildings that can use enough electricity to power a medium-sized town. The New York Times has created a furor by raising questions about how much energy is wasted to make so much information available 24/7. What about air pollution? Can the IT industry power unstoppable growth, or will it hit a brick wall?
To the Point
Is Internet Technology Really 'Clean' Technology? Internet companies tell computer users their data is stored on "The Cloud," and a lot of them worry it might be disturbed by the weather. In reality, "The Cloud" is million of severs in hundreds of warehouse-sized buildings that can use enough electricity to power a medium-sized town. The New York Times has created a furor by raising questions about how much energy is wasted to make so much information available 24/7. What about air pollution? Can the IT industry power unstoppable growth, or will it hit a brick wall? Note: This segment originally aired on September 28, 2012.
To the Point
Is Internet Technology Really 'Clean' Technology? Internet companies tell computer users their data is stored on "The Cloud," and a lot of them worry it might be disturbed by the weather. In reality, "The Cloud" is million of severs in hundreds of warehouse-sized buildings that can use enough electricity to power a medium-sized town. The New York Times has created a furor by raising questions about how much energy is wasted to make so much information available 24/7. What about air pollution? Can the IT industry power unstoppable growth, or will it hit a brick wall?
Design and Architecture
Journey to the Center of the Internet Design and technology writer Andrew Blum was working away at his home in Brooklyn one day when his Internet connection was lost—something that happens to all of us more than we'd like to admit. It got him thinking: Where does the Internet come from? What does it look like? It lead to a 'round-the-world quest to find the tangible form of this ephemeral new infrastructure, and a book called Tubes: A Journey To The Center of the Internet . Blum discusses how he got to that "center, by following the paths of glass fiber-optic cables, carrying high velocity pulses of light underneath our streets and oceans.
To the Point
Remembering Steve Jobs Millions around the world are mourning the death of Steve Jobs last night at the age of 56. President Obama said he was "bold enough to believe he could change the world and talented enough to do it." In his now-famous 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, Jobs reminded, "You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma whatever, because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even if it leads you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference." Andrew Blum, correspondent for Wired magazine, looks back at his extraordinary career and accomplishments.
To the Point
Hooked on Gadgets, Muddling Our Minds? As you're buying holiday presents, think about this. Internet multi-tasking is both a magnificent research tool and an infuriating distraction. Neuroscientists are sure that it's transforming the human brain. What they're not sure about is whether the change is for better or worse. Critics insist it's reducing the ability to focus, enforcing shallowness, stifling the creative impulse and breaking connections between human beings. Advocates say the media revolution is producing new ways of thinking and more human connectedness than ever before. In this rebroadcast of a program originally aired in June of this year, we hear both sides.
To the Point
Hooked on Gadgets, Muddling Our Minds? Internet multi-tasking is both a magnificent research tool and an infuriating distraction. But, like it or not, it's transforming the human brain. Neuroscientists are sure about that. What they're not sure about is whether the change is for better or worse. In the meantime, debate is raging. Critics insist it's reducing the ability to focus, enforcing shallowness, stifling the creative impulse and breaking connections between human beings. Advocates say the media revolution is producing new ways of thinking and more human connectedness than ever before. A recent article touched a nerve in so many readers of the New York Times that editors say it was the most frequently emailed they've ever seen.
Design and Architecture
Designer Gadgets for the Rich and Poor The Last week was party-time for techies, with the Apple iPhone, GM's plug-in hybrid, gigantic flat-screen TV's and more. While Steve Jobs wowed crowds with his $500 cell phone, the spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show fell on a designer gadget aimed at a very different market. The $100 laptop runs on Linux and is intended to be bought in vast quantities by foreign governments for distribution to poor children. Also, an industrial warehouse begins its new life as a transitional housing center for 55 homeless and mentally ill women and men in Santa Monica, and the Santa Monica Museum of Art opens a window into the Strange New World of Tijuana . Finally, Elsa Longhauser, Executive Director of SMMOA, on her favorite building in Los Angeles.
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