Comments on: Visualizing the Internet http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/ Exploring digital culture and dynamic media Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:36:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: michael http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-87 michael Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:29:27 +0000 http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-87 <p>Akamai may carry 10-20% of all internet traffic, but they appear to have about 70% marketshare, and they recently won a patent case against the #2 company, Limelight Networks:</p> <p>http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/08/03/02/1831240.shtml</p> Akamai may carry 10-20% of all internet traffic, but they appear to have about 70% marketshare, and they recently won a patent case against the #2 company, Limelight Networks:

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/08/03/02/1831240.shtml

]]> By: Pat http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-65 Pat Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:47:12 +0000 http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-65 <p>The maps are interesting but the results could be predicted with very little insider information. I'm fairly technologically naive and they make sense to me. Maybe my naivete is the reason the maps seem logical? I wonder if this is a truly representational sample.</p> The maps are interesting but the results could be predicted with very little insider information. I’m fairly technologically naive and they make sense to me. Maybe my naivete is the reason the maps seem logical? I wonder if this is a truly representational sample.

]]> By: Scott http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-64 Scott Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:59:26 +0000 http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-64 <p>Those XKCD maps are great. Thanks for sharing.</p> Those XKCD maps are great. Thanks for sharing.

]]> By: dan http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-63 dan Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:06:11 +0000 http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-63 <p>Huh, this is interesting stuff, Scott. Too bad they only carry 10-20% of traffic. I wonder if the data would be the same at 80-90%?</p> <p>Have you seen these xkcd maps? One looks <a href="http://xkcd.com/195/" rel="nofollow">real</a>, and the other is <a href="http://xkcd.com/256/" rel="nofollow">funny</a>, but looks surprising accurate.</p> Huh, this is interesting stuff, Scott. Too bad they only carry 10-20% of traffic. I wonder if the data would be the same at 80-90%?

Have you seen these xkcd maps? One looks real, and the other is funny, but looks surprising accurate.

]]> By: michael http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-61 michael Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:23:18 +0000 http://alignedleft.com/blog/2008/02/visualizing-the-internet/#comment-61 <p>Take a look at Akamai's "Network Performance Comparison" on transmissions from Los Angeles to Tokyo. There is definitely something wrong here - it shows "typical" internet traffic between the two cities traveling through the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, India, and southern China. This is obviously not a plausible traffic route given the extensive cabling across the Pacific Ocean (see http://www.news.com/2300-1033_3-6035611-1.html for example). If I wanted East Asia and North America to share internet traffic, the last thing I would do is route packets through Zimbabwe and the hurricane-prone island nations of the Caribbean! This makes no sense at all. Perhaps they didn't want to inconvenience their nice visuals by routing traffic westward from LA, disappearing on the map's left side and reappearing on the right in East Asia. Their elegant mapping system seems to have forgotten that the globe is actually round.</p> Take a look at Akamai’s “Network Performance Comparison” on transmissions from Los Angeles to Tokyo. There is definitely something wrong here - it shows “typical” internet traffic between the two cities traveling through the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, India, and southern China. This is obviously not a plausible traffic route given the extensive cabling across the Pacific Ocean (see http://www.news.com/2300-1033_3-6035611-1.html for example). If I wanted East Asia and North America to share internet traffic, the last thing I would do is route packets through Zimbabwe and the hurricane-prone island nations of the Caribbean! This makes no sense at all. Perhaps they didn’t want to inconvenience their nice visuals by routing traffic westward from LA, disappearing on the map’s left side and reappearing on the right in East Asia. Their elegant mapping system seems to have forgotten that the globe is actually round.

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