Fractal geodesic networks

[Jim Choate]

On Fri, 8 Dec 2000, Bill Stewart wrote:

> 
> ....more like a geodesic dome filled with boiled spaghetti...
> 

If you think about it this is actually one way to view the Internet.
Consider the highest layer nodes. Place them equidistant on a sphere and
interconnect them with links. Whether they are geodesic or not isn't
relevant (unless you'r using a shortest-path algorithm, which we don't).

Anyway. The next thing you do is connect each single user machine to it's
appropriate node. Cluster them in a similar manner. You get a globe with
little partial globe 'bumps' centered on each 'parent' node. Then from
each of these parent nodes, using a different length path for
distinguishing, list the multi-user nodes. Then interconnect these nodes.
Repeat add infinitum (well you can't realy since the lowest level link, a
single ppp link for example can't be broken down into smaller physical
links, the net is pseudo-fractal at best at this scale).

You can also do them as 'sea urchins'.

The reality is that the Internet, as big as it is, is simply too small
by several orders of magnitude to be modelled by anything approaching a
true fractal. However, by looking at it from the perspective of emergent
behaviour from simple rules we can probably gain more understanding and
control over its use. Something akin to cellular automatons with simple
neighborhood rules interconnected by 'small network' models.

    ____________________________________________________________________

           Before a larger group can see the virtue of an idea, a
           smaller group must first understand it.

                                           "Stranger Suns"
                                           George Zebrowski

       The Armadillo Group       ,::////;::-.          James Choate
       Austin, Tx               /:'///// ``::>/|/      ravage at ssz.com
       www.ssz.com            .',  ||||    `/( e\      512-451-7087
                           -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'-
    --------------------------------------------------------------------