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tealin · 10 months

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McMurdo Internet

Internet service is supplied to Antarctica via a geostationary satellite. This far south, the satellite is only a few degrees above the horizon, and unfortunately for McMurdo, it's behind Mt Erebus. So the signal is beamed to a receiver on Black Island, about 20 miles away to the southwest, and bounced over to the sheltered alcove at the end of the Hut Point Peninsula where McMurdo sits.

The Chalet, administrative hub, with Black Island in the distance

The Black Island telecommunications infrastructure was installed in the 1980s, long before the internet we know and love today. It was upgraded in 2010 to allow more data transfer, mainly realtime weather data to feed into global forecast models. For this reason, it's probably the only place I've ever been where upload speed is remarkably faster than download speed – 60Mbps for outbound traffic, but only 20Mbps for inbound. Most regular internet use is receiving, not sending, so that's an entire base running on a connection that's only marginally faster than the average American smartphone. As you can imagine, this is somewhat limiting.

The limits to one's internet access actually begin before one even reaches the Ice. At the orientation in Christchurch, one is directed to a URL from which one must download and install a security programme from the U.S. government. It may feel like a hippie commune full of nerds, but McMurdo is an installation of the American state, and as such its computer network is a target of whatever disgruntled conspiracy theorist decides to hack The Man on any given day. Computers that are allowed onto this network (such as the one on which I am typing right now) have to have an approved firewall and antivirus service installed, then this extra programme on top of them. I am not sure what it does. For all I know the CIA is spying on me even now. (Hi, guys!) But you need to install it to get on the McMurdo Internet, such as it is, so I did.

To be honest, I was rather looking forward to a month cut off entirely from the hyperconnected world, so I was a tiny bit disappointed that quite a lot of day-to-day communication is done by email, and I would need to be on my computer a fair bit to get it. Had I known just how important email would be, I'd have installed an email client that actually downloads one's messages instead of just fetching them; as it was, the cycle of loading an email and sending the reply, even in Gmail's "HTML for slow connections" mode, took about five minutes, not counting the time it took to write. Tending one's email was a serious time commitment; sometimes I felt like I was spending more time on the computer in Antarctica than I did at home.

Crary scientists waiting, and waiting, and waiting

In a way, though, I was lucky, because I was technically a scientist and therefore had access to the one building on base with WiFi, the Crary Lab. And don't think you can just waltz into Crary with your laptop and poach the WiFi – in order to access it at all, you have to get set up by Crary IT with your own personal WiFi login. If you do not have Crary access, your portal to the Internet is one of a handful of ethernet cables in each of the dorm common rooms, or some public terminals in the main building. You can hop on, download your emails, maybe check the news or Google something you needed to look up, and then leave it for someone else. When most online time sinks are either blocked or too heavy to load, it’s amazing how little internet time you actually turn out to need.

Things that we have come to take for granted in The World are not a part of McMurdo life. Social media is pretty much out – the main platforms are bandwidth hogs even before you try to load a video or an animated GIF. There is no sharing of YouTube links, and no Netflix and chill. Someone was once sent home mid-season for trying to download a movie. Video calls with family and friends? Forget it. People do occasionally do video calls from Antarctica, often to media outlets or schools, but these have to be booked in advance so as to have the requisite bandwidth reserved. Jumping on FaceTime does not happen – not least because handheld devices have to be in airplane mode at all times for security reasons. Your phone might be secure enough for your internet banking, but not for US government internet!

It is, unavoidably, still a digital environment, it just gets by largely without internet access. Nearly everyone has an external hard drive, mostly for media that they've brought down to fill their off hours. If you want to share files you just swap hard drives, or hand over a memory stick. When the Antarctic Heritage Trust wanted some book material from me, I dropped it onto an SD card and ran it over to Scott Base on foot – a droll juxtaposition of high- and low-tech, not to mention a good excuse for a hike over The Gap on a beautiful day. It took half an hour, but was still faster than emailing it.

There is also a McMurdo Intranet, which includes a server for file sharing. Emailing someone your photos will take ages, but popping them into a folder on the I: drive and sending them a note to say you've done so (or, better yet, phoning them, or poking your head into their office) is much more efficient. To conserve space, this informal server partition is wiped every week, so you have to be quick about it, but it's an effective workaround, and also a good way to get relatively heavy resources to a large number of people in one go.

The telecommunications centre on Black Island is mostly automated, but like anything – perhaps more than some things, given the conditions – it needs to be maintained. There is a small hut out there for an equally small team of electricians and IT engineers; Black Island duty attracts the sort of person who might have been a lighthouse keeper back in the day.

Towards the end of my time on the Ice there was a spell where they needed to shut off the connection overnight, to do some necessary work. Given that most people's workdays extended at least to the shutoff time at 5:30 p.m., this meant essentially no internet for a large portion of the population, and some amusing flyers were posted up to notify everyone of the impending hardship.

Someday, faster, more accessible internet will come to Antarctica. It's more or less unavoidable, as communications technology improves, and everyone's work – especially the scientists' – depends more and more on having a broadband connection at all times. It will make a lot of things more convenient, and will make the long separation from friends and family much easier. But I'm pretty sure that many more people will mourn the upgrade than celebrate it. One can, theoretically, curtail one's internet use whenever one likes, but even before the pandemic it was almost impossible to live this way with the demands of modern life: I know from personal experience that opting out of Facebook alone can have a real detrimental effect on relationships, even with people one sees in the flesh fairly regularly, simply because everyone assumes that is how everyone else communicates. Being in a community where no one has access to assumed channels, and is more or less cut off from the rest of the world in a pocket universe of its own, levels the playing field and brings a certain unity. The planned (and, unarguably, necessary) updating of the physical infrastructure of McMurdo will wipe out a lot of the improvised, make-do-and-mend character of the place; how much would free and easy access to the online world change it in a less tangible way?

I'm sure the genuine Antarctic old-timers would shake their heads at the phone and email connections we have now, and say that no, this has already ruined Antarctica. It's not Antarctica unless your only link to the outside world is a dodgy radio. It's not Antarctica unless you only get mail once a year when the relief ship arrives. Doubtless the shiny new McMurdo will be seen as 'the good old days' by someone, someday, too. Change may happen slower there than elsewhere, but just like the rust on the tins at Cape Evans, it comes eventually, regardless.

For my own part, I'm glad I got to see 'old' McMurdo, such as it was, all plywood and cheap '90s prefab. The update will be much more efficient, and tidy, but yet another generation removed from the raw experience of the old explorers. My generation is probably the last to remember clearly what life was like before ubiquitous broadband; to some extent, Antarctica is a sort of time capsule of that world, just as the huts are a time capsule of Edwardian frontier life. I hope they'll find a way to hang on to the positive aspects of that.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to waste an hour mindlessly refreshing Twitter ...

If you'd like to learn more about the Black Island facility, there's a lot of good information (and some photos!) here: https://www.southpolestation.com/trivia/90s/blackisland.html

And this Antarctic Sunarticle goes into greater depth on the 2010 upgrade: https://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/2114/

#mcmurdo station #antarctica #internet #wifi #connectivity #antarctic blog

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undergroundrockpress · 5 months

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Jean-Paul Sartre, 1974.

#jean paul sartre #1974 #connectivity #genius #1970s #Paris

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taurus007bbc · 2 months

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Be a good girl

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toyastales · 7 months

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Connecting with nature

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letsberealgenz · 5 months

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“You will always feel uncomfortable until you accept who you are.”

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femmefatalevibe · 11 months

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What advice do you have for trying to make friends when you’re not great at talking to people? (Or have a hard time finding people you genuinely like/want to be around)?

I find I’ve befriended a fair amount of people in the last few years only to realize I actually don’t like them very much or there’s nothing in common for us to do together, so it doesn’t last/I walk away from it.

I’ve tried meet up groups in my area but most of them revolve around meeting people at bars (which no judgement, I just feel like in that situation the only way I can have fun is to drink and I don’t like feeling like I have to drink to have fun).

I have a handful of internet friends/mutuals but they all live so far away, I want some friends I can have lunch with and such!

Thanks, <3 your blog xo

Hi love! Totally get how it's difficult to make friends as an adult, especially when you're not into the bar scene. Finding people you click with can definitely be a balance between an art and a science. Here are some of my suggestions:

Try meeting people who share a mutual interest: Join a book club, or sports/volunteer group, or take a class (workout, language, painting, cooking, improv, dance, etc.) and strike up a conversation with someone who you feel you vibe with. A simple compliment, smile, and short introduction can go a long way.

Find museums, galleries, coffee shops, parks, dog parks, etc. to hang out. Enjoy yourself, and strike up a conversation with someone who seems friendly/like you would vibe. You never know who you can meet in places you frequent who have similar lifestyles/common interests.

Join mutual interest groups on Facebook or pages on Instagram etc. for your local area. Reach out to someone who seems like-minded. If you vibe and their identity is easy to verify, try to meet IRL.

Don't neglect socializing at work events or meeting others in your colleagues' networks

Consider connecting with people on LinkedIn in your field for a coffee talk/informational interview. It's a great way to meet people with similar interests and goals. At worst, you both have a new professional connection. At best, you might have made a new friend or someone who can introduce you to one.

Hope this helps xx

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tamapalace · 1 year

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What Will Wi-Fi Do for Tamagotchi?

Due to recent filings with the FCC & EUIPO there has been a lot of buzz over the next generation of Tamagotchi. These filings revealed that a device might be in the works featuring Wi-Fi connectivity, but what exactly would Wi-Fi do for Tamagotchi?

Tamagotchi connectivity has seen its fair share of technology. It actually dates back to the Tamagotchi Osutchi and Mesutchi back in 1997. The Tamagotchi Osutchi and Mesutchi connect through two square conductors featured at the top of each device.

Then in 2004, Bandai introduced the Tamagotchi Plus (Japan) and Tamagotchi Connection (US) which introduced connectivity through infrared! Fast forward to 2013 (EU), Bandai introduces the Tamagotchi Friends with connectivity through NFC (near field communication).

Fast forward again to 2018, Bandai Japan introduces connectivity through Bluetooth with the Tamagotchi Meets. 2 years later, the Tamagotchi Pix outside of Japan utilizing the built-in camera by scanning generated QR codes nicknamed “Tama Codes”.

The connectivity methods mentioned above were used in a few different ways. Infrared & NFC was used to connect two Tamagotchi’s together to create friendships, give gifts, get married, and more. Bluetooth was used not to connect Tamagotchi’s together, but to connect Tamagotchi’s to a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet to play with the companion mobile application that has since been shutdown.

If Wi-Fi comes to Tamagotchi, and that seems likely, how will this technology be utilized? Will it be used to connect Tamagotchi’s together? Let’s imagine this, when you’re in the range of another Bluetooth Tamagotchi, you have the ability to go into the menu and start a connection with them.

Better yet, what if you would have a group connection session like the Tamagotchi P’s? Meeting others just by being in range, and creating connections. Almost like the explore feature currently on the Tamagotchi Pix, but in a certain room on the Tamagotchi, and looking for others nearby.

Better yet, what if we could connect with anyone no matter where they are? Almost like chatrooms, of course with no chat functionality, but the ability to meet characters from all overt the world, just like the Tamagotchi Meets/On app.

Or perhaps will it be used to pair with a companion mobile application? Fans have been very vocal about he recent shutdown of the Tamagotchi Meets/On app, but prior to the shutdown were also quite vocal about the limitations of the application. Could this have been a pilot for a larger project? A more robust mobile application that we’ve been dreaming of?

We’re not exactly sure how Wi-Fi will play out for Tamagotchi, but we’ll surely find out soon based on recently FCC filings. How would you like to see Bandai implement Wi-Fi in Tamagotchi?

#tamapalace #tamagotchi #tmgc #tamatag #virtualpet #bandai #wifi #connectivity

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random-xpressions · 2 months

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It will either be silence or a song - there cannot be a third medium of exchange between us...

Random Xpressions

#connectivity

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abigailkart · 1 year

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December 3, 2022

society6.com/abiwhales

#grace petrie #lyrics #connectivity #affirmation #collage #art collage #line drawing #tracing paper #david hockney #matisse #puppy #dog drawing #pen and ink #pen drawing #drawn #journal #visual journal #art journal #journal page

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duckapus · 4 months

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About Code Entity Weapons

Similar to Maneuver Forms, most Programs only have one or two types of weapon they can bring out if they can even manage the technique at all, though for opposite reasons. While Maneuver Forms involve compressing their code, Weapon Summoning involves pulling out and reshaping a small piece of it, which is just as tricky to get right and significantly more risky when you're first learning it. Or at least that's my interpretation.

That being said, here's the main weapons of a few of my characters:

Manifest: Giant Chainsaw, because "small piece" is relative.

Chip: Shield

Bandwidth: Hammer

Emulator: Umbrella (don't underestimate it)

Lag: Spiked Brass Knuckles

Kelsie: Eight-fold Blade, complete with the Yiga Footsoldier fighting style

Download: Arm-mounted Plasma Cannon

RNG: Doesn't need one Because Pokemon

Trinity: The Bow of Light

GIF: Doesn't need one because Bites You

Quazar: Halberd

Spreadsheet: Wand, obviously

Connectivity: Sniper Rifle

Showtime: Won't have time to choose one before she's defeated and Prinny'd, but if she did it would be a pair of Axes (made of The Creep for a horrifying Living-Flesh-and-Bone look, of course)

#smg4 ocs #au lore #manifest #chip #bandwidth #emulator #lag #kelsie #download #rng #trinity #gif #quazar #spreadsheet #connectivity #showtime #most of these i just came up with off the top of my head

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onetruechromosome · 4 months

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Me trying not to use the word "suddenly" to start every sentence.

#writing #writers on tumblr #fanfic #creative writing #connectivity

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londonedge · 9 months

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The future in her hands, Shoreditch

This is a section of allegedly the longest mural in the UK known as Connectivity Matters. It is made up of a number of sections by different artists. This section is by Mr Cenz and Lovepusher

#London #shoreditch #street art #urban #Connectivity #mural #future #globe #hand #Lovepusher #Mr Cenz #England #UK #world #Connectivity Matters

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redwineblogsblog · 2 years

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❤️

#connectivity

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rookiebrass · 5 days

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10 posts! I’m new here, Tumblr sent this to my email and wanted to give shout outs to the new followers, and liked/shared the modest post, and all like-minded musicians :) Shout outs to all/anyone who has taken the time to engage with the posts. Music4Life :)

#10 posts #tumblr milestone #tumblr #posts #connectivity #thoughts #minds #music

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ivygorgon · 14 days

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An open letter to the U.S. Congress

Everyone deserves broadband! Renew the Affordable Connectivity Program.

904 so far! Help us get to 1,000 signers!

The Affordable Connectivity Program has been a critical lifeline for millions of Americans, providing essential access to high-speed internet. This program has enabled students to continue their education remotely, allowed adults to work from home, facilitated tele-health services, and ensured that individuals remain connected to their loved ones during challenging times. As the expiration date of the ACP approaches, I am deeply concerned about the potential loss of these vital services for those who need them the most. The expiration of this program would disproportionately impact low-income households, exacerbate the digital divide, and hinder our nation's progress towards ensuring universal access to high-speed internet. Therefore, I strongly urge Congress to act swiftly and renew the Affordable Connectivity Program. This renewal is not just a matter of maintaining the status quo but a step forward in building a more connected, inclusive, and equitable society. By renewing this program, Congress will demonstrate its commitment to bridging the digital divide and supporting the ongoing needs of all Americans in the digital age. Thanks.

▶ Created on January 10 by Jess Craven

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🤯 Liked it? Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409

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letsberealgenz · 5 months

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“No one will know what you need unless you tell them.”

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