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Starlink Is a Big Deal

sneak.berlin

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Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#241

Post by desdiv »

rtkwe wrote: post #175
twic wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I am not sure this is a good prediction ... the shaving of milliseconds that has been pursued by HFT firms (and other such actors) has progressed to the point where they are measuring cable lengths inside the datacenter. You're conflating optimisation of latency within a colo - how quickly can you send an order in response to seeing an event on that exchange - with latency between colos - how quickly can you send a…

The thing is people have already built most of those microwave tower paths here on earth and in addition SpaceX probably isn't going to set it up as a mesh where intra-Starlink traffic stays goes directly. And even if they do you have to go up then across (probably in a zig zag) then back down which will always be higher latency than the point to point microwave distance.

>people have already built most of those microwave tower paths here on earth

I can assure you that lucrative paths like New York-London and New York-Tokyo have not been built yet. In fact, the vast majority of lucrative trading paths have not been built yet due to geographical restrictions. Yes, fiber optic links exist, but those only go up to 0.7c.

To a trading firm, the choice between a satellite link that does ~0.9c and a fiber optic link that does <0.7c is obvious.

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#242

Post by kuu »

modeless wrote: post #16

Just going to plug my Starlink tracker here: https://james.darpinian.com/satellites/?special=starlink It tells you when to go outside and look up to see the satellites as they pass over your house. It's a cool sight to see because there are up to 60 of them crossing the sky at the same time in a line.

Congratulations, it is really cool

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#243

Post by prox »

shmerl wrote: post #215
modeless wrote: post #16

Just going to plug my Starlink tracker here: https://james.darpinian.com/satellites/?special=starlink It tells you when to go outside and look up to see the satellites as they pass over your house. It's a cool sight to see because there are up to 60 of them crossing the sky at the same time in a line.

Are they really appearing as such bright objects? Didn't SpaceX decide to make them non reflective?

They are currently testing a non reflective coating on one of the satellites in the latest batch, and are consulting with the astronomical society.

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#244

Post by aylmao »

twunde wrote: post #77
Barrin92 wrote: post #10

> "Hundreds of cities and dozens of countries, fine for living but previously entirely unsuitable for a place of business, will blink from red to green on the map once Starlink goes live." this reads like a marketing piece rather than actual analysis. Throughput of a single satellite is 20Gbps. The finished constellation if I recall correctly is supposed to be about 12k satellites. So about ~250.000Gbps. So assuming…

Regarding the social impact, while likely overstated it has the possibility of making a real impact. Rural communities in upstate NY (Catskills, Adirondacks) have had their tourist season drop to ~6 weeks in the summer, basically because people can't take so much time off while being out of contact (there is limited internet and cell phone service. Not having either is the norm). Being able to work remotely from thos…

This honestly sounds more like an issue of social policy.

The big ISPs make things like municipal broadband very hard to bring about. This leaves connectivity of these communities in the hands of an executive many miles away, and they will always place more attention to the massive profits of bringing 5G to people in rich cities (themselves included) than servicing low or even no-profit markets.

At this point some level of internet access could and maybe should be considered a public utility.

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#245

Post by aylmao »

jayd16 wrote: post #188
coding123 wrote: post #170

Honestly I hope someone figures out how to shoot these down. I feel like the planet isn't getting a say. In fact only a few people are getting a say that this network should even exist. Astronomy is dead. A dark sky with just stars, yeah dead.

I really can't fathom the reasoning behind this much passion about astronomy tied to this much hatred of putting things in space.

I agree with the sentiment of the parent comment. Not because I have a huge passion for astronomy, but because I think we're prioritizing things in a wrong way.

We're prioritizing yet another billionare's networking business over the capacity to study our night's sky. Much like other types of pollution, this is something that could stick around for hundreds of years, even after all its utility is gone.

Cell towers, like most structures, can be brought down, repurposed, updated and altered. We can't do nothing about satellites, and don't know how to clean space pollution.

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#246

Post by 14 »

SteveGerencser wrote: post #224
midnightclubbed wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is stopping cell providers from adding more towers/capacity to that area? Are there geographic reasons or just a matter of time and economics?

Out here it is purely economics and population density. I live in West TN and the nearest cell phone tower is 7 miles in a straight line from my house. There is one provider that works here, and a good signal is 2 bards, but usually, 1 is normal and things like 4g or LTE rarely work. I offered $1/yr lease to the providers, all of them, to put a tower on my farm and not one of them is even a little interested.

I am willing to bet that changes once Starlink is within the finish line. My dad talks of a small town here in Canada that refused to upgrade the towers and when a private citizen started applying to create his own company magically it was suddenly economic for Telus to put up a tower.

I know that I feel ripped off every single day by what we pay for mobile data compared to the rest of the world. If Starlink suddenly shows up there is an alternative to Bell Rogers Telus. They should be shaking in their boots. It should be easy for Starlink to undercut their business because they made a business out of customer gouging.

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#247

Post by [deleted] »

gitgud wrote: post #165

> Billions of people, blocked from accessing the Internet due to lack of infrastructure or local greed or fraud related to same, are presently kept from participating in the global knowledge economy. Starlink will remedy this, to some extent. Isn't covering the world in a blanket of satellites from a single company the epitome of a global Monopoly? I'm worried about such a future controlled by SpaceX...

[deleted]

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#248

Post by aylmao »

gitgud wrote: post #165

> Billions of people, blocked from accessing the Internet due to lack of infrastructure or local greed or fraud related to same, are presently kept from participating in the global knowledge economy. Starlink will remedy this, to some extent. Isn't covering the world in a blanket of satellites from a single company the epitome of a global Monopoly? I'm worried about such a future controlled by SpaceX...

> Isn't covering the world in a blanket of satellites from a single company the epitome of a global Monopoly?

shivers.

My gripe with this comment is the subtle neo-colonial undertone it has too. "The world needs saving from their inefficient local authorities! It's their fault other countries don't enjoy the spoils of modernity. Luckily this charitable Westerner will bring you under their efficient global empire... ermm, company".

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#249

Post by mirimir »

allovernow wrote: post #199
thefreeman wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The address is used to show you a google street view pointing in the exact direction and part of the sky the satellites will cross. It's a super useful feature because it would otherwise be really hard to tell what angle or what part of the sky to watch. And accusing the guy of harvesting PII? Get a grip.

Look I can't edit the comment now but this isn't the kind of information that could be collected without the warning. Especially since an address with an IP can be deanonymizing. I didn't click the "notify me" button but I imagine it's asking for either a phone number or an email. If this is truly innocent I'm sorry for my reaction, but you should be asking people first, given the current state of advertisement and s…

I entirely understand your reaction.

And I suspect that you're using a VPN service, given the comment about deanonymization.

But really, this is exactly why it's kinda sorta pointless to use VPNs and Tor browser on smartphones. All it takes is one slipup, and your anonymity is toast.

Re: Starlink Is a Big Deal

#250

Post by mantap »

icelancer wrote: post #220
bilbo0s wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> my kids can't get online Sometimes I'm not sure that's necessarily a bad thing?

It very obviously is. Homework assignments, keeping up with their friend groups, etc.

I don't agree. I grew up (partially) before DSL, as did everybody before Gen Z, and I'm very thankful for it. I don't think always on internet is necessary for a fulfilling childhood. There's so much more to the world than the internet.
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