Quote

Data can generally travel the speed of light unless networks are congested. When there's congestion, usually the cheapest and best thing is simply to add capacity generally, not to prioritize certain sites over others.

I consider high-speed data transmission an invention that became a major innovation. It changed the way we all communicate.

Every medium has its advantages and weaknesses and there are many things I can put down on paper that I might not be able to put into film or into a stage performance. In each form, one can communicate powerfully in different ways.

The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.

There is a new way with very very tiny fiber optics, which give an enormous high resolution. There are many many thousand fibers, very very close together with a very small diameter.

Incidentally, think about the ramifications of storing data on light waves that can be stopped and started at the speed of light.

Consider: The human genome consists of about 3.3 billion base pairs. Since there are only four types of pair, that amounts to 0.8 gigabytes of information, or about what you can fit on a CD. With a microwave radio transmitter, you could beam that amount of information into space in a few minutes, and have it travel to anyone at light speed.

Data transmission is no longer something scary you don't want in your backyard. Now you want it directly in front of your house.

A worldwide web of electronic connections now moves data at ever-increasing speed and volume along what we call the information superhighway.

Communications is the biggest driver of frequency of use of anything. Think about how many times a day you check your email on your phone or text someone or message someone.