Many events both as a result of actions by man or by nature that have spelled disaster to all of us who rely on the internet for communications and many other neat stuff we just like to do. Many of us forget how complicated the Internet really is and that a failure in the many parts that make it up can ruin all our day’s. The recent earthquake in Taiwan that resulted in a collapse of one of the net’s major arteries to and from Asia to the rest of the world resulted in billions of damages in terms of revenue of internet based companies all around the world. Sabotage still remains a major risk to the information highway for a properly placed explosives device can disrupt internet traffic if it were to sever the fiber optic and high speed copper based links that inter-connects all our computers.
May it be natural or man-made disasters; there is good news and bad news for all of us. First the bad news, for the net however great a leap it has become from its first implementation will fail again. It is just a matter of when and not if it will happen. All technology has an Achilles heel that can bring it down to its knees. The good news, well it would be good to know that the cables used on newer inter-link installations may they be under ground or water is protected by some of the most technologically advanced materials in the world. Kevlar and Nomex are synthetic materials that form the sheathing or casing that protects these cables which makes them so tough allowing them to withstand the rigorous conditions under the sea or under ground. What better way to protect these sensitive and vital cables that with the same materials used for bullet and fire proof vests and coats used by the police and firemen.
They are quite expensive and costly to lay but they do allow us to stay connected. One of the best news for us is the laying of new links between the continents rather than having to rely on one single cable. Many links have been laid across the seas to form a redundant web on inter-connected links that allows a severed path to travel through another path.
