To move a metric crapload of data, you load it on a supported storage device—preferably with an eSATA interface—ship it to Amazon, and they upload it directly to Amazon Web Services. It might seem crazy, but consider that moving one terabyte of data over a 10Mbps broadband connection, which is sadly fairly speedy in the US, would take over 13 days. Even a 100Mbps connection would take a couple of days to ram at through in good conditions. So when it comes to large amounts of data, Fedex is faster than fiber.

It's not a new idea—sneakernets have been around forever to move large files—but it's interesting coming from Amazon, whose S3 cloud service powers a ton of websites. And kind of sobering. [Amazon, Amazon via Gigaom]

Midsize ISP DSLExtreme has announced that it will be offering a 50mbps service in 17 states at an introductory rate of $100/mo. This will climb to $105 after the first year, but still undercuts Verizon's standard price (in most markets) of $145/mo. The weird thing? DSLExtreme is beating Verizon's prices on Verizon's own service. The ISP has become a FiOS wholesaler, meaning that DSLExtreme's service operates on their fiber, through their network.

That makes it all the more odd that they can undercut a giant like Verizon, but they're doing it anyway. Voodoo! Economics! [Ars Technica]

Sounds crazy, but he cites the historical example of rural telephony, where the public owned the wire, not private companies. It'd work like this: A city or neighborhood would all have fiber run to it at once, and then you'd purchase a share of the fiber and connect to whatever ISP you want. There'd be a connection point where any company could pay to set up equipment and offer service, which is sort of how it works in Amsterdam, Slater explains.

Once a normal thing, it's now a pretty powerful idea, choosing your ISP—in most places, you don't have a choice. There's Comcast. There's Time Warner. Or whoever the local monopoly is. Choice breeds competition: Where do you think cable companies are rolling out fiber-fast internet? It's not a coincidence it's where Verizon or AT&T are offering high-speed internet. And this could be the way to speed up the painfully slow rollout of Godzilla internet in the US, especially in those rural areas. [Fora.TV via digg]

This guy HAS to be related to Christian Slater. I was like, "Hey it looks like Christian Slater giving a lecture." And then the name "Derek SLATER" popped up. Speaking of, did anybody that watch show he had on NBC, where he had the split personality, before it got canceled? Surprisingly not bad.

A composite laminate having an improved cosmetic surface is presented herein. The composite laminate includes a plurality of sheets of preimpregnated material, or prepreg, stacked one over another and a scrim layer provided on an exterior surface of the sheets of prepreg. The scrim layer and the sheets of prepreg form a composite laminate whereby the scrim layer constitutes an outer, exposed surface of the composite laminate. Each sheet of prepreg is made from fibers preimpregnated with resin, and the fibers of the prepreg may be substantially parallel or woven carbon fibers. The scrim layer may be a glass fiber or carbon fiber scrim, or veil, that has absorbed resin from the sheets of prepreg during a molding process. In another embodiment, the composite laminate includes a plurality of sheets of prepreg stacked one over another and first and second scrim layers provided on opposing exterior surfaces of the sheets of prepreg, whereby the sheets of prepreg are sandwiched between the first and second scrim layers. The first and second scrim layers constitute exposed surfaces of the composite laminate.

Since scrim absorbs resin of the composite, scrim takes on the cosmetic properties and color of resin. Also [...] scrim is very thin, and it is translucent, and the underlying fibers of composite are partially visible therethrough [...] The combination of resin and scrim forming scrim layer imparts a depth to surface of composite laminate, thereby providing an improved cosmetic surface of a molded article formed therefrom that is not only consistent in appearance, but is also aesthetically pleasing.

And other yadda yadda yadda and blah blah blah. Summary: They have discovered a new way to shave pounds of your future notebook that won't look like crap. Sounds good to me. [Apple Insider]

The package includes 15Mbps upstream, and it's $100 a month. And everyone in Cablevision's service area—suburban New York—will be able to get a piece. Verizon FiOS's speediest package now looks comparatively pokey: 50Mbps down, 20Mbps up.

On the other hand, while we're dazzled by insane internet speeds that were previously exclusively to cradles of technology like Korea and Japan, we shouldn't forget the otherwise miserable state of broadband here. As Cablevision deploys DOCSIS 3.0 with full force, Time Warner is pulling back on it following the backlash to its proposed caps in cities outside of Beaumont, Texas. Meanwhile, Comcast employs caps and throttling, while AT&T tests caps on its U-Verse service.

So it's still going to be a while before we can pat our ISPs on the back for the wonderful, speedy service they're providing. [Bits]

The plan, which costs $30.5 billion of our U.S. dollars, will rely on a massive infusion of government funds to get the ball rolling on the project, of which the taxpayers will own 51%. It will then be transitioned into a reliance on public sector investment, and the government plans to sell of its stake in the project within five years. It is expected to bring 37,000 jobs to unemployment-hindered Australia,

The one detail not yet decided obviously is pricing—set the price too low, and private telecom companies are pissed; too high, and no one will adopt it. But 90% fiber coverage for a country like Australia is an ambitious play (the other 10% will be served through an upgraded 10mbps satellite service). [NYTimes]

Sadly, there's no stat as to its weight or tensile strength, but at 3 meters long (that's almost 9 feet), I can't imagine you could stand on it, shouting "I have a carbon fiber table, so I rule this house at last!" I mean, you probably could, but it might snap beneath your noble mass, once again returning the control of the house to your stowaway cousin who owns last year's 3mm carbon fiber table. Rats! [StylePark via bbGadgets]

The Best TV Service Just Got Even Better - Special Promotion Makes Signing Up for FiOS TV Even Sweeter

Cable Can't Compete With Ultimate Home-Entertainment Experience From
Verizon; Promotion Offers Free High-Def Digital Video Recorder for 12
Months and Free Month of HBO/Cinemax for New FiOS TV Customers

NEW YORK, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ — As TV lovers look forward to the
start of the new fall programming season, Verizon is making it easier to
enjoy the ultimate home-entertainment experience — with a new promotional
savings offer for FiOS TV.

New customers who subscribe to FiOS TV between now and Oct. 4 will
receive their choice of a year's free use of either a high-definition (HD)
digital video recorder (DVR) or an HD Home Media DVR. Verizon is also
offering new FiOS TV customers, or existing customers who upgrade to a
bundled package, one free month of HBO and Cinemax, which includes the
latest hit movies, documentaries and original programming from more than 25
premium channels and access to hundreds of titles on video-on-demand (VOD).
New customers who take advantage of this offer will save between $200 and
$260 the first year, depending upon the DVR customers choose.

"High-def is hot, and FiOS TV is delivered over the network that's
built for HD," said Shawn Strickland, vice president of video solutions for
Verizon. "Our new offer combines the excitement of premium movies with the
convenience and advanced technology of our high-def DVRs. It's a great time
for people to experience HD the way it's meant to be seen, with the
sharpness and clarity of FiOS TV."

With Verizon's unique Home Media DVR, customers can use one DVR to
record programming that can then be watched on up to six other TV sets in
the home. This includes viewing up to three separately recorded programs
simultaneously on different TV sets, and the ability to pause recorded
programming on one set and then continue watching it on another. FiOS TV's
Home Media DVR is bundled with Media Manager, a feature that allows
customers to access photos and music from their personal computers and play
them on their TV or home theater system.

According to Greg Ireland, consumer video research manager for the
industry analyst firm IDC, this new promotional offer is unusual and
impressive because it focuses on features that can positively transform the
viewer experience — and in the case of Home Media DVR, it offers a unique
service that none of the major cable TV providers can deliver to their
customers system-wide.

"What makes this promotion compelling is the fact that it focuses on an
increasingly popular feature, the DVR, in a way that will appeal to both
late- and early-adopters of DVRs," said Ireland. "With this offer,
consumers who have always wanted a DVR can get one for free for 12 months
by moving to FiOS TV. And those that already use a DVR can extend that
experience throughout their home at no charge for 12 months by signing up
for FiOS TV and its Home Media DVR service. This is a good example of how a
service provider can leverage its technological advantages to attract new
business."

In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon offers FiOS Internet service over its
advanced network, with connection speeds as high as up to 50 Megabits per
second (Mbps) downstream and 20 Mbps upstream.

"FiOS is the fastest Internet, period," said Strickland. "When you
combine our superior voice, video and broadband — all delivered on our
advanced network — with unbeatable packages, it's clear that cable just
can't compete."

Verizon's FiOS TV service is delivered over the nation's largest
all-fiber network, straight to customers' homes and businesses, and
features pure digital HD quality and sound as well as an expanding HD
channel lineup, interactive features, diverse content and more. FiOS TV is
currently available to more than 7 million homes in 13 states, and offers
more than 400 all-digital channels, a robust interactive media guide and
other advanced features. Customers also have access to the largest VOD
library, with more than 11,000 titles per month, 70 percent of which are
free. The VOD library includes an increasing number of HD titles, with
plans for 1,000 HD VOD titles per month by the end of the year. For more
information on FiOS TV, visit http://www.verizon.com/fiostv. Consumers can also
call their local Verizon sales office or 888-438-3467.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a
leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless
communication innovations to mass market, business, government and
wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable
wireless network, serving nearly 69 million customers nationwide. Verizon's
Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and
seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon
Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications,
information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced
fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce
of more than 228,600 and last year generated consolidated operating
revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com.

Despite being in jail, the authorities are worried that he may have enabled a third party to access the system and destroy sensitive information. Administrators still do not have access themselves, but they maintain that the system is up and running and that no serious data problems have come up thus far. The exact motives behind Child's crimes have not been determined, although his frustrations at work seem to be a likely culprit. Still, why someone would commit a crime and throw away a $150,000-a-year job after "almost" being fired is a mystery to me. And I highly doubt that using the true passcodes as a bargaining chip is going to earn him any leverage. [SFGate]

Right now, Verizon's FiOS network is built fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), which means it's fiber all the way to your door, a fact it mercilessly (and rightly) lords over cable and AT&T's U-Verse. U-Verse is built as fiber to the node, where it's fiber to a box you share with your neighbors and connect to via copper or coax. It's slower than FiOS. But, FTTP buildout is really, really expensive—Verizon's spent $20 billion already, way more than AT&T.

And spending even more to build fiber out to sparely populated areas doesn't make much economic sense, even if it is cheaper than expected. (As much as we all want our own personal fiber line.) So, they're leaking for a cheaper alternative, "another approach to FTTP," in Wegleitner's words. That's all well and good, as long as it's still fiber to my door. (Soon, please?) [PC Mag]

Sure, Time Warner might have been using "fiber optics for over a decade" but can you get disgusting bandwidth through them? Not yet. Also, hello irony, Time Warner is the company trialing pay-per-byte internet. Sign me up! Actually, I would like a bowl of cereal right now. I love cereal. Mmm. Verizon says it's soggy cereal, though. I like mine of kind of soft, depending on the brand, but not soggy. [Consumerist]

The upstream magic—where cable is so sorely gimped right now—is going to remain hobbly, at least at first. And it's not 'cause Comcast is incompetent (for a change). As "a reflection of the status of upstream channel bonding technology" we won't see upstream on steroids until deep into 2008 or even 2009. Consequently, while downstream's getting a Rosie O' Donnell plumping with initial offerings in the 20-50Mbps range—what Verizon's offering now—upstream speeds still aren't going to stack up, dulling the competitive edge DOCSIS 3.0 was supposed to bring against fiber.

That means The Flash is going to stay ahead of Quicksilver for the foreseeable future, since by 2009 Verizon's GPON-based FiOS will probably cover the majority of its footprint, allowing them to flip a switch to out-juice whatever cable's got by then. [Broadband Reports]

The cruel irony is that places already saturated with uber-broadband will probably take priority as cable ISPs look to compete with Verizon and AT&T fiber. But since they can forgo the lengthy and expensive process of laying down fiber optic cable, most of us will see fatter pipes this way long before fiber could make it to our doors. We're used to longing for real broadband with no relief in sight anyway, so feel free to take your time, cable companies. Kidding. Get it here now. [Ars Technica]