This post is a little off topic from the normal posts here, but I thought this was a worthwhile diversion.
Recently, a new book “Tubes: A journey to the Center of the Internet” by Andrew Blum was released which took an in depth look into the physical infrastructure that makes the Internet work. For many people what happens on the Internet to get data and information from some “remote” location to our computers and mobile phones is just magic. This book highlights some of the lesser known aspects of the ‘physical Internet.’ I recently had a chance to read the book and was excited about how accurately the infrastructure was described. Sometimes, when I read technical articles written by journalists about the Internet industry I’m amazed at the way certain aspects get confused. I was delighted that this didn’t happen to me as I read. While the detail in the book wasn’t necessarily news to me it was fun to read about another person’s perspective on the industry that I’ve been working in.
The book is a little technical and geeky at times, but if you are curious about how the Internet works and is instantiated at a physical level pick up a copy or find one at your local library and give it a read.