Tuesday, 13 November 2018

Unplugging the space Internet

Mark Handley of University College London has revealed Elon Musk's Starlink to be a leading contended for the title 'world's worst technology project' (New Scientist, 10/11/18 p 5).  The project will consume a lot of skilled effort. And it will add to climate change from the manufacture and launching of 900 comsats per year - a vast number.

And for what?

Starlink will allow some banks to gain a milisecond level advantage in that form of automated high-stakes gambling called high-frequency trading (HFT). HFT is a singularly useless activity that supports no businesses and feeds no children. And though it does make some bankers richer few of us are likely to see that as an advantage.

There are better uses for the money and effort that Starlink will consume. Musk should pull the plug now.

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