4 ms·

Aboard an Alcatel-Lucent undersea cable ship

76 points by timf 16y ago

smithbits 16y ago
Obligatory link to the absolutely brilliant Neal Stephenson article about a very long fiber optic cable. "Mother Earth Mother Board" http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass_pr.html http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass_pr.html
- redcap 16y ago
  I highly commend this article if you haven't read it. Utterly fascinating and well-wrote.
- win_ini 16y ago
  This is my all-time favourite Wired article, a fascinating read...so much so, that I still have the original print edition.
Devilboy 16y ago
How do they power the repeaters?
- slug 16y ago
  Usually at the landing sites there's power feed equipment, as explained at the end of the article. There's some more basic information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable
- trafficlight 16y ago
  An undersea cable is made up of a about a dozen different layers of alternating conductors, braided jackets, and water-proofing. Power is provided by a conductor surrounding the fiber in center of the cable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable
sliverstorm 16y ago
Damnit, I thought 'undersea cable ship' meant the ship was a submarine.
wallflower 16y ago
Obligatory link to a fascinating (because it is so mundane) photograph of the East Coast terminus of a fiber link The photographer, Taryn Simon, has a fascinating book of images of places that are not accessible to the public ("An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar") > My favourite is the Transatlantic Submarine Cables Reaching Land (VSNL International, Avon, NJ). It is really scary to realize that something that looks so fragile and mundane as those orange cables holds the key to all the virtuality that has come to almost constitute the essence of my life. http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/wow/0aaechellle.jpg http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/wow/0aaechellle.jpg http://tarynsimon.com/tarynsimon1_cryonics.html http://tarynsimon.com/tarynsimon1_cryonics.html
danshapiro 16y ago
The best part of the article is this quote: This is the cable-splicing machine used on board the Ile de Batz--one of the most delicate and precise pieces of equipment on a ship laden with very heavyweight gear. Next to it is shown a picture of a fiber optic cable split in half, and a roll of electrical tape.
- oiuytgfrgh 16y ago
  And the roll of electrical tape is to stop the very fragile and expensive splice rolling off the table.

76 points by timf 16y ago

Obligatory link to the absolutely brilliant Neal Stephenson article about a very long fiber optic cable. "Mother Earth Mother Board" http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass_pr.html http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass_pr.html

redcap 16y ago
I highly commend this article if you haven't read it. Utterly fascinating and well-wrote.
win_ini 16y ago
This is my all-time favourite Wired article, a fascinating read...so much so, that I still have the original print edition.

Devilboy 16y ago

How do they power the repeaters?

slug 16y ago
Usually at the landing sites there's power feed equipment, as explained at the end of the article. There's some more basic information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable
trafficlight 16y ago
An undersea cable is made up of a about a dozen different layers of alternating conductors, braided jackets, and water-proofing. Power is provided by a conductor surrounding the fiber in center of the cable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable

sliverstorm 16y ago

Damnit, I thought 'undersea cable ship' meant the ship was a submarine.

wallflower 16y ago

Obligatory link to a fascinating (because it is so mundane) photograph of the East Coast terminus of a fiber link The photographer, Taryn Simon, has a fascinating book of images of places that are not accessible to the public ("An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar") > My favourite is the Transatlantic Submarine Cables Reaching Land (VSNL International, Avon, NJ). It is really scary to realize that something that looks so fragile and mundane as those orange cables holds the key to all the virtuality that has come to almost constitute the essence of my life. http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/wow/0aaechellle.jpg http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/wow/0aaechellle.jpg http://tarynsimon.com/tarynsimon1_cryonics.html http://tarynsimon.com/tarynsimon1_cryonics.html

danshapiro 16y ago

The best part of the article is this quote: This is the cable-splicing machine used on board the Ile de Batz--one of the most delicate and precise pieces of equipment on a ship laden with very heavyweight gear. Next to it is shown a picture of a fiber optic cable split in half, and a roll of electrical tape.

oiuytgfrgh 16y ago
And the roll of electrical tape is to stop the very fragile and expensive splice rolling off the table.