CIS Blog 11 - Making Meaning: Tubes

Though not as hard to follow as the previous book, “Tubes” was still hard to become interested in, because the topic was not particularly engaging. What the internet has become is very interesting, but how it became that way, not so much. The author and the historical figures that he writes about are all rather dull people. Again, what they contributed to is exciting, but their individual plots are all basically the same as they are all academics.

I am more interested in the non-physical aspects of the internet. So what I don’t like about the book is that its focus is physical and not about how information is relayed or the sociological implications of the internet; how it has transformed communications and made the people of the world more interconnected than ever.

The most interesting aspect to me is how the structure of the internet relates to economics. It’s nice that data hubs can bring job opportunities to cities ranging from physical construction to technical expertise. The infrastructure of the internet has made certain cities richer, which is good for the cities, but also the country’s overall economy.

Another interesting part is how fiber optic tubes are made of glass and that data is transferred through the glass via light. That image of all the cables around the world shooting beams of light back and forth is pretty magical.

Pictures and diagrams would have made the book more engaging. As the author traveled to many locations throughout the book it is somewhat of a travelogue and what travelogue is complete without pictures so that the reader can see what the author saw? I would have liked to have seen the actually damage the squirrel did to his internet. Likewise, diagrams make complex topics more easily understood. I would prefer a concise diagram to lengthy verbiage for any sort of technical explanation.

I don’t think this book would appeal to the average reader, so I wouldn’t recommend it to friends. However, as a textbook it does give a clearer concept of how the internet evolved and what it is, so for classrooms this is an effective book. I think it would also be a good book for someone studying politics or economics as it gives some insight into how the internet is an infrastructure like roads and power lines. It costs money to build it, but like other infrastructure, there is a return on investment.