Hierarchy, Force Monopoly, and Geodesic Societies

[Eugen Leitl]

On Thu, Apr 08, 2004 at 03:29:58PM -0400, R. A. Hettinga wrote:
> At 11:28 AM -0700 4/8/04, Major Variola (ret) wrote:
> >Geodesic means shortest path, and you'll note if you play with
> >tracert that the shortest path (as seen on Earth's surface) is rarely
> >taken.

A pretty densely distributed radio mesh with good (geographic routing)
algorithms would tend to use the shortest path. Very small cells based on
current WiFi or ultrawideband/digital pulse radio might have to route around
obstacles (large high buildings, flow along the nodes with aerials dangling
into the streets). MobileMesh doesn't seen to be the single solution, at
least one contender exists. Both are being used in practice, alas not yet in
your $100 garden-variety WiFi routers (these do bridging already, though).

Internet is mostly a tree (if you look at the connectivity maps). Wires over
long distances will tend to follow geodesics (because cables are expensive,
and an enterprise will try to minimize the costs). Current flow is mostly
dictated by frozen chance, politics (peering arrangements). Automating
peering arrangments and using agoric load levelling in the infrastructure
will tend to erode that over time. Over time, physical lines will tend to be
densest along densest traffic flow.

American cities are orthogonal, European usually radial. The cities are
connected with traffic ducts (rail, highway) which is typically loosely
geodesic (but for obstacles in the landscape). Fiber typically follows
railway or highway.

Easiest is a cloud of satellites with mutual time of flight triangulation,
and line of sight laser signalling.

>
> Measure the path in time?

UWB gives you realtime location in each node down to cm scale. No idea how
difficult to ToF triangulate with multipath. The higher device density, the
less confusion.

Intel's pushing UWB as wireless USB substitute. No reason why it couldn't
cover 10 miles of open terrain with enough power and proper aerials. Anyone
knows how UWB handles directional aeriales? Does it prefer fractal emitters,
or are there specific optimal radiator geometries?

--
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a>
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