Slate.com
Reports of sharks biting the undersea cables that zip our data around the world date to at least 1987. That’s when the New York Times reported that “sharks have shown an inexplicable taste for the new fiber-optic cables that are being strung along the ocean floor linking the United States, Europe, and Japan.”
Now it seems Google is biting back. According to Network World’s Brandon Butler, a Google product manager explained at a recent event that the company has taken to wrapping its trans-Pacific underwater cables in Kevlar to guard against shark bites.
Google confirmed to me that its newest generation of undersea cables comes wrapped in special protective yarn and steel wire armor—and that the goal is to protect against cable cuts, including possible shark attacks.
Shark expert Mitchell Chevalier recently took to the internet to take me to task on my lack of Shark knowledge (see comments)…and what do you know, the Sharks start eating the actual internet. I stand corrected, Mitchell. Please accept my apologies.
Anyway, It’s been a big week for Kevlar. From keeping over zealous swat guys safe in Missouri to preventing tons of youporn from spilling out onto our oceans floors. That’s a win for humans in my book.
Can I Be Frank & Crew? 