Andrew Blum: What is the Internet, really?

Summary

This script explores the physical reality of the Internet, challenging the notion of it being an intangible cloud. The speaker recounts his journey from observing the digital world on screens to visiting actual Internet infrastructures like data centers and undersea cables. He highlights the surprising physicality of Internet connections, from the intimate process of network routers linking in buildings to the vast expanse of undersea cables that form the backbone of global communication. The narrative emphasizes the importance of understanding the tangible origins and mechanisms that underpin our digital interactions.

Takeaways

• 🏛 The speaker, an architecture writer, discusses the tangible experience of architecture versus the intangible nature of the digital world.
• 🌐 The speaker's realization of a shift in his relationship with the physical world due to increased screen time, especially after getting an iPhone in 2007.
• 🔍 The contrast between the physical reality of the world and the perceived lack of physicality in the digital realm, as depicted by the famous Opte image of the Internet.
• 😲 The humorous yet profound moment when a squirrel chewing on a cable disrupts the speaker's Internet, highlighting the physical underpinnings of digital connectivity.
• 🌍 The speaker's journey to understand the physical infrastructure of the Internet, visiting data centers and buildings like 60 Hudson Street in New York.
• 🔌 The physical process of Internet connectivity, involving fiber optic cables and routers, which is both intimate and surprisingly simple.
• 🌊 The importance of undersea cables in creating a 'global village', and their role in connecting continents and facilitating global communication.
• 🚧 The physical process of laying undersea cables, involving specialized ships and significant manual labor, as well as the strategic importance of these cables to countries.
• 🌐 The speaker's reflection on the metaphorical 'cloud' and the tendency of people to disengage from the physical reality of the Internet once it's 'in the cloud'.
• 👷‍♂️ The cultural and historical continuity in the process of laying communication cables, despite the advanced technology involved.
• 🌟 The call to awareness for the physical origins and infrastructure of the Internet, advocating for a deeper understanding of what connects us in the digital age.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the speaker's work?

The speaker primarily focuses on writing about architecture and the design of buildings and cities.

How has the speaker's experience of the physical world changed over the years?

The speaker's experience of the physical world has changed due to the increasing amount of time spent in front of screens, both at work and on mobile devices, which has divided their attention between the digital and the physical.

What surprised the speaker about their relationship with the physical world?

The speaker was surprised by how quickly their relationship with the physical world changed after the advent of smartphones, leading to a constant division of attention between screens and the world around them.

What did the speaker find striking about the world inside the computer screen?

The speaker found it striking that the world inside the computer screen seemed to have no physical reality of its own, often depicted as an infinite expanse like the Milky Way.

How did the speaker's perception of the Internet change after their Internet broke?

After their Internet broke and was found to be chewed by a squirrel, the speaker began to see the Internet not just as an abstract concept but as a physical entity that could be damaged in the real world.

What did the speaker discover about the physical nature of the Internet?

The speaker discovered that the Internet has a physical presence in the form of data centers, buildings like 60 Hudson Street in New York, and undersea cables that connect different parts of the world.

Why is 60 Hudson Street significant in the context of the Internet?

60 Hudson Street is significant because it is one of the few buildings where a large number of Internet networks connect to each other, making it a crucial physical hub for Internet connectivity.

What role do undersea cables play in the global connectivity of the Internet?

Undersea cables play a vital role in global Internet connectivity by connecting different continents and ensuring a permanent and robust connection that is not tenuous.

How are undersea cables physically connected to the land?

Undersea cables are physically connected to the land through a process that involves bringing the cable to shore, cutting the buoys to let the cable sink to the sea floor, and then connecting it to a landing station on land.

What is the cultural and historical significance of the undersea cable industry?

The undersea cable industry is culturally significant as it is dominated by Englishmen who have been part of the industry since its boom about 20 years ago. Historically, it connects classic port cities and has been around for a long time, reflecting a continuity in the physical process of connection.

What message does the speaker convey about our relationship with the Internet?

The speaker conveys the message that we should be more aware of the physical infrastructure of the Internet, understanding where it comes from and how it physically connects us all, rather than viewing it as an abstract cloud.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Physical and Digital Dichotomy in Modern Life

The speaker, an architecture writer, reflects on the shift from experiencing architecture and cities physically to engaging with digital spaces through screens. The rapid change in our interaction with the physical world, highlighted by the advent of smartphones, has led to a divided attention between screens and the environment. The speaker also contemplates the intangibility of the Internet, often depicted as an expansive, unreachable network, similar to the image of Earth from space. A humorous incident involving a squirrel chewing on an Internet cable sparks a curiosity about the physical reality of the Internet, leading to a quest to explore its tangible infrastructure.

05:00

🌍 The Infrastructure of Global Connectivity: Undersea Cables

The focus shifts to the physical infrastructure that enables global Internet connectivity—the undersea cables. These cables, though small and simple in concept, span vast distances across oceans, facilitating international communication. The speaker discusses the landing stations, amplifiers, and the technology behind these cables, which can carry an immense amount of data. The narrative includes the experience of witnessing the installation of a new cable, illustrating the physical process of connecting continents and the importance of redundancy in ensuring reliable connectivity. The speaker also touches on the growth of undersea cables along the African coast, reflecting the increasing demand for stable and permanent connections.

10:02

🛠 The Human and Technological Aspects of Internet Infrastructure

In the final paragraph, the speaker delves into the process of physically connecting the undersea cables to the land, detailing the labor-intensive and meticulous work involved. The narrative highlights the contrast between high-tech Internet infrastructure and traditional, manual labor, as well as the historical continuity in the way we connect places through cables. The speaker advocates for a greater understanding of the physical origins of the Internet, challenging the notion of the 'cloud' as an abstract, intangible entity. The summary concludes with a call to recognize our connection to the physical world and the infrastructure that underpins our digital lives.

Keywords

💡Architecture

Architecture refers to the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures. In the context of the video, architecture is initially presented as a tangible and experiential field, contrasting with the intangible nature of the digital world. The speaker's background in writing about architecture sets the stage for his exploration of the physical reality behind the Internet.

💡Sense of Place

The term 'sense of place' describes the unique character or identity that a location has, which can be felt and experienced by people. The video discusses how one can experience the 'sense of place' in physical structures like buildings and cities, which contrasts with the virtual experience of the Internet, where the 'place' is less tangible.

💡Digital World

The digital world encompasses the environment created by digital technology, including the Internet, computers, and digital media. The video script explores the shift in the speaker's relationship with the physical world due to the increasing time spent in the digital world, particularly highlighting the impact of devices like smartphones.

💡Internet

The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers that provides a variety of information and communication facilities. The video emphasizes the physical infrastructure of the Internet, challenging the common perception of it as an intangible or 'cloud' entity. The speaker's journey to understand the physical aspects of the Internet forms the core of the narrative.

💡Physical Reality

Physical reality refers to the tangible, material aspects of the world that can be perceived through the senses. The video discusses the speaker's realization that the digital world, often considered abstract, has a very real, physical presence, which he explores by visiting data centers and undersea cable landing stations.

💡Data Centers

Data centers are large facilities used to house, power, and cool the computer systems that store, process, and manage data. In the video, data centers are highlighted as physical manifestations of the Internet, consuming as much power as cities and serving as hubs for the digital traffic.

💡Fiber Optic Cable

A fiber optic cable is a type of cable that contains strands of glass fiber capable of transmitting data as pulses of light. The video describes the physical process of connecting these cables in buildings and how they are used to transmit vast amounts of data across the globe, emphasizing their role in the Internet's infrastructure.

💡Undersea Cables

Undersea cables are submarine communications cables that carry telecommunications data across long distances under the ocean. The video script focuses on the importance of these cables in creating a 'global village' by connecting continents and facilitating international data exchange.

💡Landing Station

A landing station is a facility where undersea cables come ashore and connect to the terrestrial network. The video describes the process of how data from undersea cables is brought to land, highlighting the physical nature of what is often considered a virtual process.

💡Global Village

The term 'global village' refers to the concept of the world becoming a single community due to advances in communication technology. The video uses this term to illustrate how the physical infrastructure of the Internet, particularly undersea cables, enables global connectivity.

💡Telepresence

Telepresence is a set of technologies that allow a person to feel as if they were present, and able to interact in a remote location. In the video, the speaker mentions a telepresence system used to communicate with Simon Cooper, symbolizing the paradox of feeling connected to someone while physically distant.

Highlights

The speaker's shift from experiencing architecture physically to a more digital, screen-based interaction.

The realization of a changed relationship with the physical world due to increased screen time.

The surprising discovery that a squirrel chewing on cables could disrupt internet connectivity.

The humorous and profound moment of understanding the physicality of the internet through a squirrel incident.

The imaginative journey of tracing the physical path of the internet from a broken cable.

The physical reality of the internet, contrasting with its common perception as an intangible entity.

The exploration of large data centers as significant, power-hungry physical locations of the internet.

60 Hudson Street in New York as a critical physical nexus for internet network connections.

The physical process of internet connection involving routers and fiber optic cables.

The importance of undersea cables in creating a global internet infrastructure.

The physical description and function of undersea cables and landing stations.

The surprising simplicity of how data travels through undersea cables using light.

The physical landing of an undersea cable in Halifax, connecting North America to Ireland.

The rapid expansion of undersea cables along the coast of Africa to meet connectivity demands.

The intense physical process of repairing broken undersea cables.

Simon Cooper's role and the significance of the West Africa Cable System (WACS).

The physical act of connecting an undersea cable to land, symbolizing the moment of 'plugging in' a continent.

The detailed process of preparing and connecting the cable to the terrestrial network.

The cultural and historical continuity in the physical laying of communication cables.

The importance of understanding the physical infrastructure behind the cloud and the internet.

Transcripts

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

I've always written primarily about architecture,

about buildings, and writing about architecture

is based on certain assumptions.

An architect designs a building, and it becomes a place,

or many architects design many buildings, and it becomes

a city, and regardless of this complicated mix of forces

of politics and culture and economics that shapes

these places, at the end of the day, you can go

and you can visit them. You can walk around them.

You can smell them. You can get a feel for them.

You can experience their sense of place.

But what was striking to me over the last several years

was that less and less was I going out into the world,

and more and more, I was sitting in front of my computer screen.

And especially since about 2007, when I got an iPhone,

I was not only sitting in front of my screen all day,

but I was also getting up at the end of the day

and looking at this little screen that I carried in my pocket.

And what was surprising to me was how quickly

my relationship to the physical world had changed.

In this very short period of time, you know, whether you

call it the last 15 years or so of being online, or the last,

you know, four or five years of being online all the time,

our relationship to our surroundings had changed in that

our attention is constantly divided. You know,

we're both looking inside the screens and we're looking

out in the world around us.

And what was even more striking to me, and what I really

got hung up on, was that the world inside the screen

seemed to have no physical reality of its own.

If you went and looked for images of the Internet,

this was all that you found, this famous image by Opte

of the Internet as the kind of Milky Way, this infinite expanse

where we don't seem to be anywhere on it.

We can never seem to grasp it in its totality.

It's always reminded me of the Apollo image of the Earth,

the blue marble picture, and it's similarly meant to suggest,

I think, that we can't really understand it as a whole.

We're always sort of small in the face of its expanse.

So if there was this world and this screen, and if there was

the physical world around me, I couldn't ever get them

together in the same place.

And then this happened.

My Internet broke one day, as it occasionally does,

and the cable guy came to fix it, and he started with

the dusty clump of cables behind the couch,

and he followed it to the front of my building and into the basement and out to the back yard,

and there was this big jumble of cables against the wall.

And then he saw a squirrel running along the wire,

and he said, "There's your problem.

A squirrel is chewing on your Internet." (Laughter)

And this seemed astounding. The Internet is

a transcendent idea. It's a set of protocols that has changed

everything from shopping to dating to revolutions.

It was unequivocally not something

a squirrel could chew on. (Laughter)

But that in fact seemed to be the case.

A squirrel had in fact chewed on my Internet. (Laughter)

And then I got this image in my head of what would happen

if you yanked the wire from the wall and if you started

to follow it. Where would it go?

Was the Internet actually a place that you could visit?

Could I go there? Who would I meet?

You know, was there something actually out there?

And the answer, by all accounts, was no.

This was the Internet, this black box with a red light on it,

as represented in the sitcom "The IT Crowd."

Normally it lives on the top of Big Ben,

because that's where you get the best reception,

but they had negotiated that their colleague could borrow it

for the afternoon to use in an office presentation.

The elders of the Internet were willing to part with it

for a short while, and she looks at it and she says,

"This is the Internet? The whole Internet? Is it heavy?"

They say, "Of course not, the Internet doesn't weigh anything."

And I was embarrassed. I was looking for this thing

that only fools seem to look for.

The Internet was that amorphous blob, or it was a silly

black box with a blinking red light on it.

It wasn't a real world out there.

But, in fact, it is. There is a real world of the Internet out there,

and that's what I spent about two years visiting,

these places of the Internet. I was in large data centers

that use as much power as the cities in which they sit,

and I visited places like this, 60 Hudson Street in New York,

which is one of the buildings in the world,

one of a very short list of buildings, about a dozen buildings,

where more networks of the Internet connect to each other

than anywhere else.

And that connection is an unequivocally physical process.

It's about the router of one network, a Facebook or

a Google or a B.T. or a Comcast or a Time Warner, whatever it is,

connecting with usually a yellow fiber optic cable up into

the ceiling and down into the router of another network,

and that's unequivocally physical, and it's surprisingly intimate.

A building like 60 Hudson, and a dozen or so others,

has 10 times more networks connecting within it

than the next tier of buildings.

There's a very short list of these places.

And 60 Hudson in particular is interesting because it's home

to about a half a dozen very important networks,

which are the networks which serve the undersea cables

that travel underneath the ocean

that connect Europe and America and connect all of us.

And it's those cables in particular that I want to focus on.

If the Internet is a global phenomenon, if we live

in a global village, it's because there are cables underneath

the ocean, cables like this.

And in this dimension, they are incredibly small.

You can you hold them in your hand. They're like a garden hose.

But in the other dimension they are incredibly expansive,

as expansive as you can imagine.

They stretch across the ocean. They're three or five

or eight thousand miles in length, and

if the material science and the computational technology

is incredibly complicated, the basic physical process

is shockingly simple. Light goes in on one end of the ocean

and comes out on the other, and it usually comes

from a building called a landing station that's often

tucked away inconspicuously in a little seaside neighborhood,

and there are amplifiers that sit on the ocean floor

that look kind of like bluefin tuna, and every 50 miles

they amplify the signal, and since the rate of transmission

is incredibly fast, the basic unit is a 10-gigabit-per-second

wavelength of light, maybe a thousand times your own

connection, or capable of carrying 10,000 video streams,

but not only that, but you'll put not just one wavelength of light

through one of the fibers, but you'll put maybe

50 or 60 or 70 different wavelengths or colors of light

through a single fiber, and then you'll have maybe

eight fibers in a cable, four going in each direction.

And they're tiny. They're the thickness of a hair.

And then they connect to the continent somewhere.

They connect in a manhole like this. Literally,

this is where the 5,000-mile cable plugs in.

This is in Halifax, a cable that stretches from Halifax to Ireland.

And the landscape is changing. Three years ago,

when I started thinking about this, there was one cable

down the Western coast of Africa, represented

in this map by Steve Song as that thin black line.

Now there are six cables and more coming, three down each coast.

Because once a country gets plugged in by one cable,

they realize that it's not enough. If they're going to build

an industry around it, they need to know that their connection

isn't tenuous but permanent, because if a cable breaks,

you have to send a ship out into the water, throw

a grappling hook over the side, pick it up, find the other end,

and then fuse the two ends back together and then dump it over.

It's an intensely, intensely physical process.

So this is my friend Simon Cooper, who until very recently

worked for Tata Communications, the communications wing

of Tata, the big Indian industrial conglomerate.

And I've never met him. We've only communicated

via this telepresence system, which always makes me

think of him as the man inside the Internet. (Laughter)

And he is English. The undersea cable industry

is dominated by Englishmen, and they all seem to be 42.

(Laughter) Because they all started at the same time

with the boom about 20 years ago.

And Tata had gotten its start as a communications business

when they bought two cables, one across the Atlantic

and one across the Pacific, and proceeded to add pieces

onto them, until they had built a belt around the world,

which means they will send your bits to the East or the West.

They have -- this is literally a beam of light around the world,

and if a cable breaks in the Pacific, it'll send it around

the other direction. And then having done that,

they started to look for places to wire next.

They looked for the unwired places, and that's meant

North and South, primarily these cables to Africa.

But what amazes me is Simon's incredible geographic imagination.

He thinks about the world with this incredible expansiveness.

And I was particularly interested because I wanted to see

one of these cables being built. See, you know, all the time

online we experience these fleeting moments of connection,

these sort of brief adjacencies, a tweet or a Facebook post

or an email, and it seemed like there was a physical corollary to that.

It seemed like there was a moment when the continent

was being plugged in, and I wanted to see that.

And Simon was working on a new cable,

WACS, the West Africa Cable System, that stretched

from Lisbon down the west coast of Africa,

to Cote d'Ivoire, to Ghana, to Nigeria, to Cameroon.

And he said there was coming soon, depending

on the weather, but he'd let me know when,

and so with about four days notice, he said to go

to this beach south of Lisbon, and a little after 9,

this guy will walk out of the water. (Laughter)

And he'll be carrying a green nylon line, a lightweight line,

called a messenger line, and that was the first link

between sea and land, this link that would then be

leveraged into this 9,000-mile path of light.

Then a bulldozer began to pull the cable in from this

specialized cable landing ship, and it was floated

on these buoys until it was in the right place.

Then you can see the English engineers looking on.

And then, once it was in the right place, he got back

in the water holding a big knife, and he cut each buoy off,

and the buoy popped up into the air, and the cable

dropped to the sea floor, and he did that all the way out

to the ship, and when he got there,

they gave him a glass of juice and a cookie,

and then he jumped back in, and he swam back to shore,

and then he lit a cigarette. (Laughter)

And then once that cable was on shore,

they began to prepare to connect it to the other side,

for the cable that had been brought down from the landing station.

And first they got it with a hacksaw, and then they start

sort of shaving away at this plastic interior with a --

sort of working like chefs, and then finally they're working

like jewelers to get these hair-thin fibers to line up

with the cable that had come down,

and with this hole-punch machine they fuse it together.

And when you see these guys going at this cable with a hacksaw,

you stop thinking about the Internet as a cloud.

It starts to seem like an incredibly physical thing.

And what surprised me as well was that as much as this

is based on the most sophisticated technology, as much

as this is an incredibly new thing, the physical process

itself has been around for a long time, and the culture is the same.

You see the local laborers. You see the English engineer

giving directions in the background. And more importantly,

the places are the same. These cables still connect

these classic port cities, places like Lisbon, Mombasa,

Mumbai, Singapore, New York.

And then the process on shore takes around three or four days,

and then, when it's done, they put the manhole cover

back on top, and they push the sand over that,

and we all forget about it.

And it seems to me that we talk a lot about the cloud,

but every time we put something on the cloud,

we give up some responsibility for it.

We are less connected to it. We let other people worry about it.

And that doesn't seem right.

There's a great Neal Stephenson line where he says

that wired people should know something about wires.

And we should know, I think, we should know

where our Internet comes from, and we should know

what it is that physically, physically connects us all.

Thank you. (Applause)

(Applause)

Thanks. (Applause)