Build it and we'll come
New Zealand Listener|August 26, September 1 2023
The tow truck was laden as it turned the corner: a silver Toyota anchored to its deck and a bright blue Mazda trailing off the back. Somehow, in the midst of a thunderstorm, it all went very wrong. The truck clipped a power pole, which broke at the base and fell between it and the trailing car and the whole lot ended in a mess of smashed windscreens and tangled cables in the middle of the road.
RUSSELL BROWN
Build it and we'll come

This caused a number of problems. Every other route in the vicinity was already either closed for a big stormwater separation dig or on stop-go signs for roadworks. Tempers flared as drivers made three-point turns in the rain. Vector soon logged an electrical outage. But the internet survived. The thin fibre-optic cables, pulled down with the pole, were all over the road but intact and continued to transmit their bits.

Fibre is much more resilient than the old copper lines," enthused my telecommunications commentator friend. "It bends, you can drown it, even in earthquakes it continues to work. Just incredible."

It couldn't last. The vehicles had to be removed and after two hours of operating through a crash scene the internet went with them. Still, my friend wasn't wrong. We'd grown used to internet that, unlike the old copper network that got iffy when it rained, never broke down.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 26, September 1 2023-Ausgabe von New Zealand Listener.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 26, September 1 2023-Ausgabe von New Zealand Listener.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS NEW ZEALAND LISTENERAlle anzeigen
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
September 9, 2024