transatlantic
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Facebook and Microsoft are building a huge trans-Atlantic data cable
Microsoft and Facebook today have announced a partnership to build a massive underwater data cable connecting the US to Europe, an effort that'll help the two internet giants better move data back and forth around the world. The cable, dubbed "MAREA," should be ready by October 2017 and will have an insane estimated data capacity of 160Tbps, making it the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic.
First 100 Gbps transatlantic link for researchers begins testing
While the rest of the world is clogging up the internet's lanes sending cat GIFs to one another, there are those that need clear highways to be, you know, productive. To that end, a group of six research and education networks including Internet2 have demonstrated the first 100 Gbps link between North America and Europe reserved specifically for their intellectual agenda. It won't be much use just yet, as the Advanced North Atlantic 100G Pilot project (ANA-100G) will be subject to a year of testing while "operational requirements" are looked at. The plan, though, is for the link to be used in the future by universities and research organizations for sending huge datasets, like those created by the LHC. One of the demos cut the time for a large transfer from Maastricht (Netherlands) to Chicago down from several hours over normal internet to just a few minutes over the private pipe. Head to the PR for more info on the project, and think of all that bandwidth you'll never be able to use.
Electric plane performs taxi tests as prelude to transatlantic attempt (video)
EV flyer Long-ESA has started high-speed taxi tests on its quest to become the first electric airplane to cross the Atlantic. Using a Long-EZ kit plane designed by Burt Rutan as a platform for the volts-only powertrain, the Flight of the Century project is the brainchild of electric enthusiast Chip Yates, who already holds the speed record of 190MPH on an EV motorcycle. The developer's plan is to use a fleet of five drones to dock with the main Long-ESA ship and exchange batteries in mid-air, giving it enough juice to make the trip. Successful ground trials should lead to flight tests later this month, with the transatlantic attempt slated for 2014, followed by EV airplane speed and altitude attempts, to boot. It remains to be seen if the complex plan might result in commercial electric aviation as Yates predicts -- but judging by the video after the break it'll be fun to watch them try.
