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Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

wired.co.uk

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Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#51

Post by themstheones »

scott_karana wrote: post #34
lifeisstillgood wrote: post #20

And so it begins. There is a new age coming, one where we realise surveillance is ubiquitous and more importantly carries benefits for us as well as loss of what we thought of as privacy. This is probably a good thing. These blimps will not be the last of atmospheric and LEO orbitals that will criss cross the globe and provide always-on services we suddenly cannot live without. We do need to manage who holds and uses…

Isn't it a bit much to give Berners-Lee credit for this? I was with you up to that point. :)

He was definitely an important step in getting to this point. The WWW is what made the internet mainstream. That and ICQ.

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#52

Post by saraid216 »

Cushman wrote: post #42
a-priori wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know what altitude they'd fly at, but this quote from the Wikipedia article on Airships says: "In November 2006, the U.S. Army bought an A380+ airship from American Blimp Corporation through a Systems level contract with Northrop Grumman and Booz Allen Hamilton. The airship started flight tests in late 2007, with a primary goal of carrying 2,500 lb (1,100 kg) of payload to an altitude of 15,000 ft (4,600 m) u…

I'd quibble. While I agree it wouldn't be vulnerable in practice, I don't think the longest sniper kill is relevant at all. A battle rifle caliber can definitely break 10,000 feet fired straight up. The issue would be whether it has enough energy left to penetrate the skin of the blimp, and whether it winds up anywhere near where you aimed at. They're definitely not at risk to the odd potshot, but massed small arms/c…

> That is outside the range of small arms: the furthest confirmed sniper kill to date was at a range of 1,250 m.

Also keep in mind that snipers are shooting at humans. That's a much, much harder target than a blimp.

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#53

Post by sschaevitz »

nwzpaperman wrote: post #47

Pretty sure google should deploy wifi blimps to south/north Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc. before throwing resources at African wifi. I guess google plans to inherit Nigerian family fortunes and such and only needs the coms infrastructure to obtain it.

The aggregate population of the states that you mention have is approximately 16.5 million.

The impact of those 16.5 million people coming online (if, as you claim, they currently don't have adequate access) is almost trivial compared to the impact these non-traditional internet connections could have for on the order of 1 billion people.

I suppose you were just being snarky, but I (and Eric Schmidt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqfC0l3W0B4) think this project could have a massive impact on the state of the internet.

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#54

Post by saraid216 »

icebraining wrote: post #31
abenga wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Contrary to (popular?) opinion most of Africa is not a warzone. With extremely few exceptions (Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo), most of Sub-Saharan Africa is in the middle of an extended period of peace. It's inconceivable that if ever deployed, any of these blimps will be interfered with in the airspaces of East Africa (aside from Somalia) or over any country south of them.

People were shooting drones in the US[1]; you don't to assume a warzone to consider it a risk. [1] http://www.suasnews.com/2012/11/19719/activists-drone-shot-o... (Yes, the drone may have been above private grounds; so probably will the blimps)

The US is also notoriously high-density in guns and the will to fire them; many of its inhabitants do indeed believe they live in a warzone.

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#55

Post by themstheones »

momodomo wrote: post #22
betterunix wrote: post #10

My girlfriend just asked a question that had not even occurred to me: what happens during a storm? I am sure Google's engineers have a way to handle that, but I am genuinely curious about what their solution is.

Similarly, will it float so low that it could be shot down with a gun or missile? To avoid these two risks (storm and attack), I imagine it'd have to be at an altitude above weather currents and beyond shooting range... or be able to stabilize during a storm and be bulletproof.

It's clear, especially considering that these are meant to fly in some unstable countries in central Africa, that certain parties will be trying to attack these blimps.

What kind of defenses to you think the blimps will have to defend against these strikes? Some sort of armor plating on the underside would seem to be the minimum. Hopefully they'll be equipped with some offensive capabilities as well to combat and dissuade guerrilla and terrorist acts.

Or would it make more sense to just use expendable blimps, like a $10 balloon and a $20 router?

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#56

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

nwzpaperman wrote: post #47

Pretty sure google should deploy wifi blimps to south/north Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc. before throwing resources at African wifi. I guess google plans to inherit Nigerian family fortunes and such and only needs the coms infrastructure to obtain it.

Downvoted because your comment consists of an unsubstantiated assertion followed by a dismissive slur.

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#57

Post by Cushman »

saraid216 wrote: post #52
Cushman wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd quibble. While I agree it wouldn't be vulnerable in practice, I don't think the longest sniper kill is relevant at all. A battle rifle caliber can definitely break 10,000 feet fired straight up. The issue would be whether it has enough energy left to penetrate the skin of the blimp, and whether it winds up anywhere near where you aimed at. They're definitely not at risk to the odd potshot, but massed small arms/c…

> That is outside the range of small arms: the furthest confirmed sniper kill to date was at a range of 1,250 m. Also keep in mind that snipers are shooting at humans. That's a much, much harder target than a blimp.

Well it'd be ten times as large in your scope, but I don't think I'd call it an "easier target"-- you have to deal with a much more dramatic arc and unknowable atmospheric wind conditions.

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#58

Post by DanBC »

nwzpaperman wrote: post #47

Pretty sure google should deploy wifi blimps to south/north Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc. before throwing resources at African wifi. I guess google plans to inherit Nigerian family fortunes and such and only needs the coms infrastructure to obtain it.

> etc. before throwing resources at African wifi.

They're helping to expand existing markets and creating new markets. African mobile telephony is a success story.

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#59

Post by primelens »

themstheones wrote: post #55
momodomo wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similarly, will it float so low that it could be shot down with a gun or missile? To avoid these two risks (storm and attack), I imagine it'd have to be at an altitude above weather currents and beyond shooting range... or be able to stabilize during a storm and be bulletproof.

It's clear, especially considering that these are meant to fly in some unstable countries in central Africa, that certain parties will be trying to attack these blimps. What kind of defenses to you think the blimps will have to defend against these strikes? Some sort of armor plating on the underside would seem to be the minimum. Hopefully they'll be equipped with some offensive capabilities as well to combat and dis…

> Hopefully they'll be equipped with some offensive capabilities as well to combat and dissuade guerrilla and terrorist acts.

Um ... Google drones are the last thing we need. Enough problems with the military ones already.

Re: Google blimps will carry wireless signal across Africa

#60

Post by leecbaker »

ams6110 wrote: post #32
darkchasma wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because they photoshopped a stock image??? Seriously? You understand how journalism and blogging works, right?

Photoshopping an image and not captioning it as an "artist's concept" or something similar is absolutely a violation of traditional journalistic integrity. This is not a picture of a "Google Blimp." It's not even a picture of a blimp in Africa.

That picture is not a free-flying blimp, but an Army aerostat (tethered balloon). About 10 are used to enforce the southern US border.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethered_Aerostat_Radar_System

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