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Undersea Cable Break Disrupts Life In Northern Mariana Islands
An anonymous reader writes: The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands experienced a devastating undersea cable break on Wednesday, with phone, Internet, SMS, banking services, the National Weather Service office, and airliners all being affected. The US territory depends on a single undersea fiber optic connection with Guam for its connectivity to the outside world (except for a backup microwave link, which was itself damaged during a recent storm). While services are in the process of being restored, this may be a prime example of the need for reliable backup systems in our "always connected" mindset.
There have been a number of fiber cables intentionally cut.
Might this be sabotage taken to the next level?
Who's behind this? China?
Here I was thinking this was about some adverse effect of electricity+salt water on the ecosystem surrounding the islands, but no, it's about people being unable to stream porn until it's fixed.
This is the definition of 'first-world problems'.
... and make yourself a tourist attraction for an "off-line experience". You might charge extra for it, too.
No, I'm not actually recommending that. But you might consider it all the same.
Oh Dear God!
I think it's a prime example of why choosing to live on a remote island served by only one cable and one fragile microwave link is just part of the bargain when you choose to live on a remote island. The whole "having more backups" thing is actually pretty well covered in most continental locations.
/. these days, is getting a periodic, hands-off lurching scroll/navigation to the top of the page while either writing or passively reading? I have been too lazy to figure out which script/object is offending. But it's astoundingly obnoxious.
BTW, is it just me? Am I the only one that, while using Chrome to view
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
It's interesting how Joe Q. Public continues to think that their data and voice zips around the globe via satellites, when in reality the vast majority moves on our terrestrial networks.
Just last week I overheard someone commenting on how their text messages were going via satellite.
Pretty much any Engineer who works in Reliability and Maintenance has known this for years... Redundancy is king. In fact, the redundancy is usually there to allow you to do the maintenance.
I know there is a chance this really is just an accident, but I really can't help but notice these accidents have happened pretty frequently recently. This makes about the 4 or 5th undersea cable being cut in recent memories.
Really can't help but wonder if these aren't accidents so much as they are distractions while they are spliced into further down the line.
Start countdown to baby boom in 9 months.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
It's hard to believe that there is not a single VSAT connection available or even a HAM radio with someone running Linux and broadcasting/receiving packets. Weather data would be my first concern. I wonder how many of the elders remember how to navigate and read the weather the old fashioned way?
this may be a prime example of the need for reliable backup systems in our "always connected" mindset.
Or it may be a prime example how helpless many systems are with even a small break in connectivity, and point to a strong need for all systems to be built with robust (or any!) offline modes...
Airlines being affected for example is bullshit - the schedules for example are all known months ahead of time. That the systems had not cached everything needed for a few weeks at least verges on criminal. Incoming planes can carry USB sticks with updated manifests and other data...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
F'ing cruise ships have that... you'd think the island could afford ONE satlink. Just for emergencies.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
I was thinking of the Mariana islands as a 'close enough' for me stop-gap. Crap. There must be some other Micronesian territory left that didn't get suckered into independence.
Same problem showed up for me on Safari on MB Air, Slow AT&T UVerse connection.
When you live in the boonies, you learn to make do without all of the benefits of civilized society from time to time.
They could always have set up additional backup links via satellite, a secondary microwave link, etc. They chose not to invest the money. Now they suffer the consequences.
They've no one to blame but themselves. It's not a "conspiracy" as some have claimed. It's just bad luck.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
Mariana Islands official here,
I have just put a redundancy plan in the todo list.
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
There is nobody living there - they don't need a backup link.
Expect a spike in the number of births in 9 months.
Instead of having an "Always Connected Mindset", how about thinking about how to NOT have an always connected assumption in everything?
The Marianas are volcanic islands on top of tall peaks above the deepest part of the ocean. The depth goes from miles to feet in a relatively short time. When a storm passes, the storm surge has to compress to pass through the island chain gaps. This would cause havoc with anything laid between them.
Maybe its not time to think of redundencies in the always connected world, but instead focus on self reliance and survival?
but then again this is /.
when was the last time you disconnected?
Storm proof your microwave links in storm prone areas.
On the plus side, productivity is through the roof as everyone isn't checking their phone, social media, news of the minutes sites or any of the other time wasters that make up the plurality of internet usage.
for allowing themsleves to be conquered by the most cheap skate large empire for investing in thier conquests of modern times.