Google has announced a new milestone for its Project Loon internet initiative, which is aiming to bring connectivity to remote parts of the world by beaming it from balloons floating in the stratosphere.
“3 million kilometers is a long journey. That distance would take you around the earth 75 times, or get you to the moon and back nearly 4 times over,” explained a post on the project’s Google+ page.
“It also happens to be the distance our Loon balloons have travelled through the stratosphere since the project began last year.”
The post adds that Google’s balloons now last 10 times longer in the stratosphere than they did in 2013, with many keeping afloat for more than 100 days: “Our current record is 130 days!” And Google also says it now has the capacity to launch 20 of these balloons every day.
Project Loon sits alongside other big-tech initiatives to spread internet access to new parts of the world.
Remember Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “we’ve been working on ways to beam internet to people from the sky” announcement, featuring “drones, satellites and lasers to deliver the internet to everyone” for example?
Also see recent reports that Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is working on his own “micro-satellites” plan to deliver similar connectivity.
The technology is undeniably impressive, as is the skill and effort going into it from the teams at Google, Facebook and other companies. But what are your views on the political and social implications around their mission?
Should we be talking more about what Google balloons and Facebook drones and lasers mean for society, whether positive or negative? How should these initiatives be regulated (and by who) if at all? The comments section is open for your thoughts.
What else is happening in the technology world? Today’s other links:
Google and Rockstar settling patent litigation
Is an end in sight to the patent wars around smartphones? Well, experience suggests not, but one of the more high-profile cases is being settled. Reuters reports that Google has agreed to settle litigation with Rockstar, the consortium that includes Apple, and which sued Google and several Android handset makers in 2013.
Corning debuts Gorilla Glass 4
Corning has been showing off its fourth-generation Gorilla Glass, showing how the screen material used by Samsung and (reportedly) Apple is evolving. The key claim: the company says phones suffering a “face drop” will now remain uncracked 80% of the time.
Artist explores London’s CCTV network
James Bridle has been trying to photograph CCTV cameras around London, for a project. He even got arrested – although note, it was a citizen’s arrest by a security guard from a hotel: when the police turned up, they let him go.
What does the CIA think of Edward Snowden books?
The intelligence agency has published a review of “Intelligence in Public Literature” by Hayden Peake, including his take on three books about Edward Snowden – including journalist Glenn Greenwald’s No Place to Hide. Sample sentence: “Greenwald’s often bitter ad hominem rationale for this is unlikely to be the last word on the subject”. *startled face*
Opinion app makes podcasting easier
Reckon you could make the next Serial? Opinion is a clever new iPhone app that makes it easier to record and edit podcasts, and then upload them to SoundCloud. It could be useful for independent journalists and sites keen to do more with audio.
All aboard the poo bus!
A flippant title but this is really interesting: a bus launched by Wessex Water in Bristol that’s powered entirely by human and food waste: “a 40-seater shuttle capable of travelling up to 186 miles on a full tank of bio-methane gas, which is generated via a process called anaerobic digestion” as Engadget puts it.
Telltale teaser for next Game of Thrones game
Telltale Games has done marvellous things with its games for The Walking Dead. Now it’s time to geek out over the trailer for its next project: a six-part episodic series based on Game of Thrones. I for one can’t wait for this:
What else? The comments section is open for your links and responses to the stories above.
