Is Freedman Having Fun?
Years ago, Alan Freedman, author of this encyclopedia, would never go on vacation without bringing work along. He has always tried to thoroughly understand a subject before writing about it, and nothing is more complicated than fiber optics. Even though Jeff Hecht's book is the best, some concepts are still mind boggling.
![]() | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Headline 2010: e-Reader device failure
- There might be some bargains to be had in the wreckage ntntDoesn't change the fact the wreck's comingjust a matter of keeping perspective. The way of all new marketsThis is the way of all new markets. It happened with fiber optics, the dot.coms, MP3 players, smart phones, and it...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-02
- Poll: What kind of camera equipment do you need when traveling?
- Travel CamerasI carry DLSRs for vacation memories and a small point and shoot for when I don't want attention drawn to myself.RE: Poll: What kind of camera equipment do you need when traveling?I have a 'bridge' camera - smaller than a DSLR, larger than a 'point and shoot'. It's a...
- Discussion threads 2009-09-28
- 20% of U.S. households shun landlines, go mobile-only
- 20% of U.S. households shun landlines, go mobile-onlyWould you drop your landline and go mobile-only?Would you drop your landline and go mobile-only?Tell us in TalkBack.No - its just not cost effective..Instead I have opted to tell Verizon Local good-bye and hello to Broadvoice a VoIP Telephony company. This is great...
- Discussion threads 2009-05-11
- As economy plummets, cable, satellite TV bills are on the rise
- As economy plummets, cable, satellite TV bills are on the riseThe Internet is the future of mediaWe dropped cable 6 months ago. We found a local ISP and got 12M down, 2M up for $50 a month and kicked $110 a month of Time Warner out the door. A decent...
- Discussion threads 2009-04-21
- Underwater Cloud Break
- In my previous post I discussed how historically railways were the supply chain backbone of the US economy as was the case with many other nations 120 years ago. Globally the internet is remarkably similar today: although we tend to think of it...
- Blog posts 2008-12-30
- Researchers hack wired keyboards, hijack keystrokes
- Researchers hack wired keyboards, hijack keystrokesOh greatnow to have to get something akin to a Faraday cage for ye ole peripherals, or just for the entire sticky cube. Wonder if they've hacked my abacus yet.RE: Researchers hack wired keyboards, hijack keystrokesThis is old news. Electic typewriters had the same...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-20
- From Chapter Two: The appliance computing culture
- From Chapter Two: The appliance computing cultureYou may want to edit the "More Terminology" section.In it you state and hopefully this is not your own understanding of it: [i]"T1″ is an North American telco designation for a single cable provisioned to carry up to 24 concurrent telephone conversations but usually...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-26
- Qwest CTO on FTTP, bandwidth caps and integrated services
- Qwest plans to roll out integrated home services where it ties its services in with those from its partners such as MSN and DirecTV in a move enabled by a thin layer of software, according to Qwest CTO Pieter Poll. Poll right talked about Qwest's broadband strategy...
- Blog posts 2008-08-25
- Limelight Networks: Why the Olympics didn't 'Melt' the Internet
- Limelight Networks: Why the Olympics didn't 'Melt' the InternetWe agree about content providers...But in my fantasy world you would not necessarily need a DVR you could pay extra for a download and you could get a stream anywhere with net access.It didn't melt but I think it got hot. ntntRE:...
- Discussion threads 2008-08-17
- FCC's Comcast ruling: Not unreasonable
- FCC's Comcast ruling: Not unreasonableSome bandwidth management neededAlthough totally blocking content is wrong, even though some of it is probably illegal content. The IP is not trying to police content but rather provide a equal experience for all of its customers with a limited amount of bandwidth. Maybe, broadband providers...
- Discussion threads 2008-08-04
- The harsh reality of suburban broadband
- The harsh reality of suburban broadbandi live in parsippanyand my Optimum line does not go down ever! I've had it for over a year now and I have decided to not even consider switching to FIOS as I have zero issues of any kind. My speed test results are 27468...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-22
- The harsh reality of suburban broadband
- Like millions of other Americans and many of New York City's "bridge and tunnel" crowd, I live in the 'burbs. While I do a great deal of travel for my full time job, I am also classified as a "mobile" employee, so I'm not formally attached to an office --...
- Blog posts 2008-06-22
- Cable: Act, Don't React
- Cable: Act, Don't React21-Hour coincidence?Isn't it amazing that the outage "happens" to get fixed just before the 24-hour point? After 24 hours, they would be stuck to give refunds, but it was fixed "just in time."Amazing.I've been through it many times.I dont quite understand what you mean here..."[i]If this household...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-13
- Photos: Furnishings with a future
- The International Contemporary Furniture Fair, a showcase for modern design, attracted its fair share of tech-oriented, futuristic, and energy-saving devices.The International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which took place last week in New York, is a showcase for modern design. More than 600 exhibitors displayed contemporary furniture, flooring, lighting, and wall coverings....
- Image galleries 2008-05-27
- AT
- ATOh that's real smart!Someone PULL the plug on this company please! First, they are about to go thru BIG lawsuits for violating crimes in assisting the Bush Admin to eavsdrop... and now they want to invest in fiber optics for the Pacific area... when Japan just shot up a top...
- Discussion threads 2008-03-05
- I'm a weirdo, I live in The Cloud
- I'm a weirdo, I live in The CloudWeb 2.0 in the EnterpriseI'd say there are two questions:(1) Are enterprises interested in the functionality provided by "Web 2.0" companies?(2) Are enterprises interested in trusting very small companies that tend to take an arrogant attitude with their information?Answers:1. YES2. NOKeep...
- Discussion threads 2007-12-18
- Data trips between light and sound
- As you probably are aware, future communications networks will certainly be based on optics. A research team led by Duke University physicists has done an important discovery which might lead to these future super-fast optical communications networks. The team has found a way to store information coming from a beam...
- Blog posts 2007-12-15
- Nanotechnology and viruses working together?
- You've certainly read that nanotechnology can be used for many applications. Now, according to Nanowerk, researchers from the University of South Carolina have demonstrated that one electrically conductive polymer called polyaniline PANi could be used in conjunction with plant viruses to develop new materials. The researchers have used the rod-like...
- Blog posts 2007-12-03
- Outsourcing Information Technological Services to Israel: A Country Analysis
- With the largest number of companies listed on NASDAQ, after the United States, Israel is quickly becoming one of the top countries for high-technology projects such as aviation, communications, computer-aided design/manufactures, medical electronics and fiber optics. This paper attempts to analyze Israel's main asset, technological services, in the global business...
- White papers 2007-12-01
- 100 gigabits per second over copper?
- According to Penn State engineers, transmission rates of 100 gigabits per second are possible today over copper. But only on distances of less than 100 meters. And only with high-end Category 7 copper cables. These Ethernet cables are made up of four pairs of twisted wires shielded to reduce crosstalk....
- Blog posts 2007-11-19
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