Conversation Friday morning

I had to explain to someone that European podcasts may actually be kept on a European server and therefore take longer to download. They didn’t understand why.

“It is all the internet after all.” they say.

“Well, the internet is made of wires and switches and cables and there is an ocean between us. They may use a satellite which involves transmitting a packet from Earth 50,000km in to orbit to a fixed position satellite and then get bounced the 50,000km back to Earth. This kind of thing takes time.” I say.

“Really?” they ask to the open air as I vacate my presents in the location and imagine myself somewhere else.

People gripe paying $600 or more for an iPhone. They are paying $300 or less for the phone and the rest for the cloud providing services to the phone.

People seem to think the internet is one entity. They don’t understand it is just a protocol for many different companies and universities to use to allow communication between all their paid for computers and networks. Some of it is military, but that is the vast minority. The lines are not the most expensive part. The switches and and such are a massive expense as well.

I’ve gazed in to the abyss of wires and blinking boxes in the locked cupboard. Thar be dragons.