Google says it will soon have a string of 300 internet-beaming balloons circling the Earth, as three Indonesian firms agree to join its trials.
Category: internet – Page 319
A funny article ending with transhumanism:
Ukraine’s Internet Party, which has been adding levity and subtle satire to the country’s tense politics for a few years now, is making a statement with sci-fi again. Yes, this is all true.
5G networks are still several years off, but the Federal Communications Commission is already gearing up for their deployment by drafting rules that would allow companies to broadcast cellular signals in extremely high frequency spectrums.
The FCC has proposed new “flexible user service rules” that would permit the transmission of signals in the 28, 37, 39, and 64 to 71 GHz bands, all of which are well above the 700 to 2600 MHz bands that today’s 4G LTE networks typically use. The Commission is also seeking public comment on any other bands above 24 GHz that could be suitable for use.
There are obviously complications in getting mobile networks to work effectively using spectrum above 28 GHz, including distance limits and the ease of obstruction. However the FCC believes that these complications can be overcome, paving the way for 5G networks between 1 and 10 Gbps.
A footpath in the UK has been equipped with free Wi-Fi coverage, with manholes, on-street cabinets, and other ‘street furniture’ being used to broadcast the signal, which reaches maximum speeds of 166 Mbps and can be accessed from up to 80 metres (260 feet) away.
For the time being, this is a very small-scale scheme: the connected street has been set up in the market town of Chesham, home to some 21,000 people, about 50 km outside of London. As you might expect, it’s a promotional stunt on the part of Virgin Media, but the company says it’s committed to improving public Wi-Fi access across the country, and will be using feedback from the trial in Chesham to help inform its future plans.
“The unlimited Wi-Fi service is available to residents, businesses, and visitors passing through the centre of Chesham,” explains the Virgin Media team. “The service even covers parts of Lowndes Park — Chesham’s 36-acre park space.”
I think about pros and cons of living in a connected world … think about it …sometimes the answer it is not so simple, nor unique.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44227.pdf by Eric A. Fischer — Senior Specialist in Science and Technology, October 13, 2015
UK pedestrians in Chesham will experience a first when they stroll around. Virgin Media is behind the initiative of a Smart WiFi Pavement, to provide people with Wi-Fi access. Residents will be able to “streetsurf,” according to the news release. Virgin Media is a provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.
The company is out to make a name in improving out-of-home connectivity. The Virgin Media news release said, “Chiltern District Council and Virgin Media have joined forces to blanket Chesham’s high street with superfast WiFi. The unlimited WiFi service is available to residents, businesses and visitors passing through the center of Chesham; the service even covers parts of Lowndes Park – Chesham’s 36 acre park space.” The pilot is available to all the 21,000 residents and businesses of Chesham.
Speeds of up to 166Mbps are highlighted; the number is seven times the average UK broadband speed.
New article on Immortality Bus trip promoting transhumanism with new videos:
It seemed a wild, impossible dream a year ago when I told my wife and young daughters I was going to drive a bus shaped like a coffin across America to raise life extension issues. A week ago, I just finished the second stage of the tour. Soon I’ll begin the third stage from Arizona to Texas, and then across the Bible Belt to Washington DC, where I plan to post a Transhumanist Bill of Rights to the US Capitol building.
If the bus tour seems like a wacky idea–especially for a presidential candidate –it’s because it is. Of course, to transhumanists, a more wacky idea is how most of our nation largely accepts death as a way of life. In the 21st Century, with the amazing science and technology this country has, I don’t believe death needs to be left unconquered. If, as a nation, we would just apply our ingenuity and resources, we could probably conquer death in a decade’s time with modern medicine. That’s precisely the reason why I’m running for president and driving the coffin bus around the country; I want to tell people the important news and get them to support radical technology and longevity science.
Construction of the bus in San Francisco — Photo by Zoltan Istvan
Until recently, Facebook was reportedly looking into developing, launching and operating its own satellite. Anonymous sources revealed to The Information that Facebook pulled out of the project due to its rising costs, but was still considering moving forward with a leased satellite.
Google To Beam Internet From Balloons
The satellite is one facet of Zuckerberg’s Internet.org initiative, which aims to “make affordable access to basic Internet services available to every person in the world.”
Computer scientist Ray Kurzweil, founder of the California-based Singularity University, claims that by 2030s humans could be using nanobots to connect our brains to the cloud.