<br>
Hi this is my first post. Here is my suggestion: Let's get
excited about something more current. Internet2 is mature -- a
useful question to ask about it could be: "Did it achieve what it
promised?" It's great that Slate just heard about it, but it was formed
in 1996. Yes it is upgraded regularly and it is getting faster,
but so is your ISP. And the sinister undertone just doesn't make
sense. Internet2 is centrally controlled, but so are all of the
component networks of the Internet. When you run tracert and see
what network providers your packets traverse on the way from here to
there, each of those network providers is "centrally controlled" and
invests in its backbone. e.g., from my desk to
<a href="http://www.distributedcreativity.org">www.distributedcreativity.org</a> I traverse the University of Illinois,
then McLeod, then AT&T. If we want to talk about "lots of
bandwidth" and what it might mean, we should just do that and not let
"Internet2" stand in for "lots of bandwidth". If you want to use
a hip, up-to-date word to stand in for lots of bandwidth (and who
doesn't?) -- use "lambda"
(<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/05/technology/techspecial/05markoff.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=5715aa258c370445&ex=1286164800">http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/05/technology/techspecial/05markoff.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=5715aa258c370445&ex=1286164800
</a>).
Let me try: What will happen when we are all on the lambda? Why
am I off the lambda? etc. It is a fun word to use.
And such a queer choice. Maybe queer theorists have colonized the
grid.<br>
<br>
Anyhow, the original Slate article gets the whole idea completely
backward. Rather than Russo's "why can't I use Internet2?" a good
question is: "why isn't my private Internet connection faster?" or "why
don't private companies like McLeod, AT&T, etc. all invest more
money in their infrastructure?" In part, Internet2 was supposed
to provoke this, way back when. The most appalling failure has
been the US, where private Internet infrastructure investment lags
seriously behind Europe and Asia. But why should McLeod/AT&T
invest more when you pay a flat rate for unlimited access?
Because the regulator that is supposed to be watching out for this kind
of problem (the FCC) does nothing.<br>
<br>
Christian<br>
<br>
--<br>
<a href="http://www.niftyc.org/">http://www.niftyc.org/</a><br>
<br>