Fiber optic cable - the backbone of the Internet

fibre optic cable, originally uploaded by spore2002.

If you are looking for something to read when the holiday overdosing kids put you are the verge of a nervous breakdown - just find a warm browser and bring up the following article by Neal Stephenson (author of the Cryptonomicon) about the construction of the FLAG (Fiber Optic Link Around the Globe) cable.

Service through the FLAG cable was disrupted earlier this week - when what has been termed a 'seismic event' off of Malta.

Another section of this same cable network was cut in off Egypt back in January - probably by a ship's anchor.