The Internets are broken

[TV-VCR 14]

December 19th, 2008

BREAKING: Internet broken, North America-Asia cables damaged

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 9:29 am

Interoute, the internet networks company, reports that three of the four internet sub-cables that run from Asia to North America have been damaged, according a post just published to the Times Online’s Tech Central blog.

The cables carry more than 75 percent of traffic between the Middle East, Europe and America. Clearly, if you’re reading this, it hasn’t reached you yet — but the AP is reporting mass outages in Egypt as of an hour ago.

According to Interoute via the post:

hearing that offices have lost their entire private network connectivity. As a result, users are unable to do their daily job over the internet and are turning to their mobile phones to communicate across the globe. This is having a knock on effect on the domestic voice networks, which are getting a surge of calls needing to be routed internationally. These calls need to be routed onto international gateways that pass voice traffic in longer directions around the world to avoid the cable breaks – causing more quality issues and risk more call failures, in turn causing more calls to be placed and increasing the pressure on local voice networks.

So expect to see a slowdown on mobile phone networks in those areas as a result of companies’ attempts to continue conducting business, the post reports. It also means there may be financial havoc coming as well, since trading could be compromised.

The Times Online adds that it’s a bit unusual to have this situation:

Major sub-sea cables break once a year. So companies have developed a fall-back plan. If one sub-sea cable is out, traffic is re-routed onto a second cable. In theory, a dual break, where both cables go out at once, is incredibly rare. Prior to January this year, it had not happened before.

The Bloomberg wire also has a story about the situation. Earlier this year, cable problems were reported between Africa and the Middle East.quote>

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

So the entire system hinges on 100 year old technology, and just a few strands of it. Who knew?

[your_adress_here 11]

Well this will certainly be interesting.

[Explodingsims 3]

Huh...Who knew the tubes could be broken?

[simcity4fan12 13]

I hope this doesn't affect the the southern part of the United States, strange that this has happened. I haven't heard anything until now by reading this.

[Hahayoudied 3]

Now I think they should fall on plan B, add 2 backup cables per main cable instead of one backup cable per main cable.

[fukuda 351]

Nice, they'll learn to use umbilicals next time

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 7, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[TV-VCR 14]

Originally posted by: Barbarossa [sarcasm] OMG!  It's the end of the world!  People will have to use landlines and rely on primitive forms of business operations (aka, the 1980s).  What will the traders do?  Will Fedex and UPS survive!  OMG!  OMG! [/sarcasm]

This is why people need to get a grip on reality.  Dependence on the internet, cellphones, even toasters, will lead to failure.  It's like we are adopting new technologies whole-heartedly without understanding the consequences of abandoning the plain-'ol nitty-gritty.  Civilization has been in place for thousand of years, but in only 20 yrs, we have succeeded in making ourselves dependent on technology.  How many people can start a fire without a lighter?  How many people can design a building without using AutoCAD?  How many people understand the implications of Pythagoras? Some can, but far too many will give you a blank stare.

Sorry for the rant, but I am completely unsympathetic to this type of garbage.  IMO, failures of this sort will do us some good.

Barbarossaquote>

Great point barbarossa. Most people I know today simply couldn't go several hours without their precious computer or blackberry. And I doubt they would have any knowledge of how to "survive without technology."

[Hahayoudied 3]

There is a type of bomb that can fry all eletonic devices...

I think if we place those bombs in the right place, then it would be back to the stone age.

But that also means giving up ST and SC4.

[TV-VCR 14]

Originally posted by: Hahayoudied There is a type of bomb that can fry all eletonic devices...quote>

I know the code for it! It's 666!

(lol, that movie was, well, meh, to be nice)

[MrCinatit 30]

While some might look at me as a voice of reason, I believe it is now time to completely and totally panic. I, for one, am ready for the zombie infestation. I have barracaded myself in the nearest internet cafe with three months supply of Skittles, hot pockets and Surge. I am also quite willing to begin killing any stumbling, bumbling half-dead creature which comes towards me, yelling "LANs! LANs!"

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Originally posted by: Hahayoudied There is a type of bomb that can fry all eletonic devices...

I think if we place those bombs in the right place, then it would be back to the stone age.

But that also means giving up ST and SC4.quote>

And advanced medical care including pacemakers, refrigerated food (the electric grid runs on computer controls), all telephony, etc.

But I'm with Barbarossa. Our society has gotten way too soft. Far too many people, if asked where their food comes from, would simply reply, "the grocery store".

[patriots_1228 51]

Well, Im headed out to calaforny, I hear they gots some internetz out there. Not much, but enough to get by. *south park joke*.

[confused04 14]

For all those saying that society has gone "too soft" and that we've become too "dependent"... bull malarky...

I mean, come on, with 6 billion people on the planet, it REQUIRES technology to maintain order. I mean, you're posting your little mini rants ONLINE. Kinda ironic eh :\? And I agree, people are too used to cell phones and automatic doors, but intercontinental communication isn't exactly "frivolous technology". Our global economy requires instant communication for BASIC necessities such as getting asparagus to Chicago and lumber from Indonesia to Lisbon. We depend on technology for EFFICIENCY. Remember the days before mechanized industry? Oh yea, feel free to step back in those days.

And regarding grocery stores... yea, most people don't know where their food is grown, its completely UNNECESSARY for the common person to know. Its called workforce specialization, an important aspect of civilization. The car mechanic could probably car less where arugula is grown during January to keep up a steady supply. I am one for simplicity, but I'm not one for simplicity while sacrificing efficiency. Sure people can start a fire without a lighter, but its not necessary. Can people design a building without autocad, sure... but that cuts into the bottom line for many companies that would have to either reduce their workload due to time constraints or hire more people. I mean, we can even go back 150 years ago and I'm sure people said we were too reliant on modern technology (Anyone Amish?). Its the repeating generational tag line "we are too dependent on x", "young people are lazy", "I walked to school uphill both ways in 5 feet of snow everyday" and yea, things have been made both easier and more complicated. But in 40 years, people will say "omg, look at those 2008 folks who had a 'simple' life." Have we gotten dependent on technology...sure, but don't romanticize the alternative. We left that ages ago for a reason...

[Jazzmaster 716]

Agreed with what has been said about the necessity of technology.

Unless someone here would like their car, computer, cell phone, running water, power etc. taken away and try to live in a dry, empty, dark home for a few months to prove a point.

If you live in a house like mine with plenty of water and animals for nurishment right in your backyard it's one thing.  But to those living in concrete jungles have fun eating each other

[fukuda 351]

I'm sure the people displaced to the countryside by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia with the same arguments about relying on technology and how the past (Neolithic I guess) times were greater would beg to differ, but they died of starvation.

[Danlikebooks 6]

I read a book a few months about "eco-terrorists" (or something like that).  Anyway, the terrorists hit the internet cables in many countries, destroying the internet for basically everyone.  Next, they hit the undersea telephone lines from North America to Europe and Asia.  Lastly, they got their hands on an electro magnetic pulse bomb and detonated it in the center of America, knocking out all electronics in America and effectively sending America back to the 19th century.

Could this happen in real life?

If, say, one of America's enemies )Iran, North Korea, to name a few) got control of one of these EMP bombs, we're toast, buttered, and eaten (I've never said that before!).  Shouldn't we have a backup plan if our electronics get knocked out?

Just a thought.

[patriots_1228 51]

^more electronics to fix our broken electronics.

[your_adress_here 11]

Originally posted by: confused04

[...]

I mean, we can even go back 150 years ago and I'm sure people said we were too reliant on modern technology (Anyone Amish?). Its the repeating generational tag line "we are too dependent on x", "young people are lazy", "I walked to school uphill both ways in 5 feet of snow everyday" and yea, things have been made both easier and more complicated. But in 40 years, people will say "omg, look at those 2008 folks who had a 'simple' life." Have we gotten dependent on technology...sure, but don't romanticize the alternative. We left that ages ago for a reason...quote>

I agree 100%.

I also don't see why people blame technology for our problems, because, ultimately, we created that technology.

[fukuda 351]

Originally posted by: Danlikebooks

If, say, one of America's enemies )Iran, North Korea, to name a few) got control of one of these EMP bombs, we're toast, buttered, and eaten (I've never said that before!).  Shouldn't we have a backup plan if our electronics get knocked out?quote>

E-Bombs have already been used several times (in the Iraq war for instance) and they are quite easy to manufacture compared to MDW.  Manufacturing them is trivial and fast compared to nuclear weapons for instance and all the countries you listed there are definitely able to make some. They are hugely overrated though, their range is extremely limited and to cause a big EMP you would actually need to launch a nuclear bomb which kinda destroys the point of it.

They are not a recent weapon and we learned how to protect electronics against them, all the modern military electronics are shielded against pulses, and the important non-military electronics (govt and some private owned) have been shielded for years, so don't worry too much about them.

[duack 14]

Well this explains a lot .

And to think that I believed the rumour that the government in Australia was slowing down the net as a stupid experiment to see if we could live without it when the answer is really obvious

Nah, why do people say all this crap about "oh no look at technology ooh its really dependant" I mean c'mon this isnt the terminator . All it does is make things easy and if the net did suddenly come off everywhere, its not like everyone would starve to death - you dont need the net to drive a truck full of groceries to a shop. 

[GMT 389]

see... 100s, if not 1000s of houses catch fire every month because of breaking cables...

how often did you have to buy something anew cuz a cable broke? or at least fix a broken cable? happens all the time.

so why shouldn't this happen to the big superduper cables running through the oceans to link the world?

[Hummer bob 1 4]

sorry, I had to do it.

With this generation so 'dependent' on technology, terrorists now have a new way to cause chaos just by eliminating the technology people 'rely' on.

[Hahayoudied 3]

You remind me of that one time some jerk(s) ripped out two internet cable ampfiers, knocking out the entire internet access on the street, and then my internet modem was fried from being restarted so much.

[saltandsauce 0]

i think south park did an episode where the internet "went away" and everyone moved to "Californiway" and the news team were like "there is no news as we havn't been able to receive news since it was done over the internet (what did we do before the internet?) next scene "a FAX is coming through the FAX IS WORKING"

oh yes our global economy depends on people posting how much they love the jonas brothers and China getting a fraction of the whole internet (half is blocked by the great firewall of china anyway) but i thought that money was made by selling stuff like books,foodstuffs and machinery obviously now it is made through a ton of 1s and 0s.

learning to start a fire is important since what do you do if it's cold and there is a powercut? and you have no matches.

life was never easier before now but it was simpler

as for the efficiency arguement i'm sure you wouldn't be a big fan of efficiency if it meant you were suddenly made redundant by a machine or computer programme

[Odainsaker 2,133]

It'll be when the television goes out that I get scared. The Emergency Broadcast System and Civil Defense warnings followed by all the channels turning to snow was the sign of the Nuclear Apocalypse. CNN going dark means the U.S. East Coast is already gone! Somehow, "Mad Max" looked like more fun than "The Day After."

Okay, enough Reagan-era horror, we must all now return to ritually pressing the sacred symbols on the keyboard to appease the Computer Gods, lest Windows becomes angry and demands more sacrifices.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: MrCinatit While some might look at me as a voice of reason, I believe it is now time to completely and totally panic. I, for one, am ready for the zombie infestation. I have barracaded myself in the nearest internet cafe with three months supply of Skittles, hot pockets and Surge. I am also quite willing to begin killing any stumbling, bumbling half-dead creature which comes towards me, yelling "LANs! LANs!"quote>

Interesting.  Is this a result of a new Monroe Doctrine?  You will want to make sure the creatures do not have little golden fibers in their hair...

[your_adress_here 11]

Originally posted by: MrCinatit While some might look at me as a voice of reason, I believe it is now time to completely and totally panic. I, for one, am ready for the zombie infestation. I have barracaded myself in the nearest internet cafe with three months supply of Skittles, hot pockets and Surge. I am also quite willing to begin killing any stumbling, bumbling half-dead creature which comes towards me, yelling "LANs! LANs!"quote>

Time to get out your Zombie Survival Guide!

[Boggy1 45]

I don't think the problem is so much that we have become over-dependant on technology. In many ways technology has complemented our existence.

I think the the real problem here is the fact that we are losing some of the very basic skills our parents and grandparents had. You can have technology and skills, and a good mixture of both is very useful. But you shouldn't just have technology and no skills. It's quite scary. How many of us could plant and grow our own food? It's not as easy at it looks. I'd say keep the technology, but become self sufficient with your skills. A good merger of the both.