Ping City
July 9, 2014 7:45 PM   Subscribe

 
The Internet is a physical thing. Today seems to be a good day for it, because I also found this video about two of those buildings, and I'll use whatever excuse I can get to link to Mother Earth, Mother Board by Neal Stephenson.
posted by pmb at 8:14 PM on July 9, 2014


That's an amazing link. I loved all the detail. They don't make buildings like they used to.

Also, I don't know what to make of this statement:
At the end of February, 2006, Western Union discontinued all telegram and commercial messaging services. Telegram traffic had fallen to just 20,000 messages per month.

Only? In 2006? What did it used to be before that?
posted by bleep at 9:20 PM on July 9, 2014


funny they don't mention that 111 8th ave is also google's NYC HQ.
posted by stampedes at 10:58 PM on July 9, 2014


I love the smell of crossbar in the morning.
posted by dr_dank at 3:38 AM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


The people at 325 Hudson - a carrier hotel still under construction - have done a good job of documenting the process and released a free ebook about it.
posted by mustardayonnaise at 6:36 AM on July 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


There's a pretty good book I read a while back that's a pop-science level look at the internet's infrastructure. Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet.
posted by rmd1023 at 12:29 PM on July 10, 2014


I think my favorite detail was that the weird punchcard "internet" system was still running until 2000.

I always wonder how many completely alternate networks like that there were nationally, running parallel to the internet but either barely or never touching it.

That, and how many systems like that were converted to just run over a VPN or something across the internet in emulation, because replacing the old systems that used them was too costly/complicated/etc.
posted by emptythought at 2:48 PM on July 10, 2014


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