[extropy-chat] Communication vs transportation

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 01, 2003 at 01:57:22PM -0200, Henrique Moraes Machado
> wrote:
> 
> > I've been reflecting lately on communication versus transportation.
> 
> Current communications depend on advances in electronics
> and optics; the signalling speed is about the speed of
> light already. Electromagnetic communication needs
> no wires but is limited in bandwidth/cell, the 
> amount of wire/fibre buried is clearly
> very limited (watch the current dark fibre debacle).
> However, better coding and hardware can put 
> more bits/s through a given infrastructure.

Yes, virtually all of the increases in bandwidth in the last decade
have been in improved compression algorithms and higher frequency use,
and the attendand equipment designs to do so.

> 
> Transportation has stalled in throughput because it's
> an infrastructure issue (new infrastructure can't occupy
> the same space as old, need to be compatible and is 
> intrinsically expensive), and speed is an energy and noise
> issue (you want to stay subsonic, and evacuated channels
> are ridiculously expensive).

It's also an energy issue. You can build SSTs and SSTOs all day long
that use existing airports. What you can't get over is the energy cost.
The faster you go, the more fuel/mile you burn to deal with thermal
friction, and higher power propulsion systems tend also to be less fuel
efficient on a gallons per lb thrust basis.

The good thing is that resource prices drop over time as technology
decreases resource utilization costs and increases utilization
efficiency. Eventually higher velocity transportation systems become
commercially feasible, this is just a much longer curve than
communications has.

=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
"Fascists are objectively pro-pacifist..."
                                       - Mike Lorrey
Do not label me, I am an ism of one...
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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