@ryanchild292: The singular of fungi is fungus. Muhahaha

Alex7575

And, hey, wouldn't laser phones make us all go blind?

Not really because "millimeter range" in in the far infrared portion of the spectrum and thus pretty much harmless to us.

The downside is that lasers are unidirectional as opposed to omnidirectional which is what most portable wireless devices need.

RayCeeYa

The most epic-ist of pictures to define it, Wilson.

And quite interesting indeed.

HotFootMcCook

The plural of fugus is fungi.

ryanchild292

@ciscokidinsf:

You beat me too it :(

JuiceDaddy

@Alex7575:

How the heck is that possible? Doesn't the server have to get the request before it can even send anything?

Suttin

Just remember, don't cross the streams!

ciscokidinsf

At 20Gbps an average webpage is rendered on the browser before the request even hits the server.

Alex7575

@shockwaver: Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! This is gonna get ghetto real quick. Hold on while I get some popcorn and dots.

D.E.P.C.

@WiglyWorm: Ohio has nothing on the prairie region of Manitoba (IE, Winnipeg). Being the lake bed of a prehistoric lake tends to make it flat. In fact, I believe it is considered the flatest place on earth.

shockwaver

Excellent Egon caption!

Thanassi44

Yes, but what is the latency? Can we adapt it for Satellite communications? Will it blend?

ViperBorg

Um... what is so "unnerving" about the flatness of my states terrain?

My friend if you're looking for a fight... on the internets...

WiglyWorm

im no doctor but that is some fast wireless... but i was always under the impression its bad to cross streams... especially in when playing airplane...

purple-pillows

does it make unlimited energy?

laxman15

@RayCeeYa: Actually, they aren't. Lasers are only coherent, which among other things gives them a very low dispersion. It's the lenses that make the lasers we think of unidirectional, but there's nothing to stop someone from placing a lens in front of a beam and spreading it all over the countryside. Of course, you're signal strength tends to fall off pretty rapidly doing that, but that's just the cost of doing business.

icelight

A lot of more isolated communities are connected to the telco network by microwave link, which can create a bandwidth bottleneck. Seems to me that this would be a technology better geared toward replacing those links in places where laying fiber is impractical... not so much to make your iphones shoot internet lasers. Shame.

whoneversleeps

I'm staying at a Holiday Inn Express tonite. Feel free to ask me any questions about the inner workings of this new technology.

NoelZavala

@Suttin: Jesus, it was a joke.

hiimcliff

Hey, anyone remember that thing called infrared data transfer? This would make an excellent replacement. Also, the applications for making secret DarkNet networks is endless.

DarkNet definitions can be found at:

[www.darknet.com]
[www.wordspy.com]

subsider34

@whoneversleeps: Good point made about microwave I think. could see it replaced in a few years.

Overheal

"super smart people at Battelle research in Columbus, OH"

Thank Christ we get a decent representation for once that doesn't involve a national college championship. Well, there's this and hopefully our MLS team.

If all goes as planned, we'll be a blue state by Christmas.

justhesh

I would rather have a twinkie 20 feet long weighing 600 pounds.

Stacky Botrus

@ryanchild292: everyone knows Egon was such a fun gi.
Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week...

phresh125

@ryanchild292:How do you know he wanted to collect more than one?

TerryinSt.Paul

@hiimcliff: should be a FF addon.

araddatz

@ciscokidinsf:
Peter: Why, what would happen if you crossed the streams?
Egon: It would be bad.
Peter: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing.
Egon: Imagine all life as you know stopping instantaneously, and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Ray: Total protonic reversal.
Peter: Alright that would be bad.

pitpawten

lol, i just watched that movie yesterday

Tweak

Everything in modulation.

EricAlder

That's a big Twinkie.

strider_mt2k

I see this as a revolutionary way to bring broadband across the US, rather than a mobile device carrier. Think about how many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars it costs to lay 800 meters of fiber optic cable, capable of achieving 20Gbps, underground. Factor in obstructions the likes of urban sprawls, digging through granite, and other fun delays. Now, consider how expensive it is to mount two towers across that distance, bypassing all of those problems.

blackmage439

Next thing you know, they'll invent dogs and cats living together.

Kayonesoft

AOptix Technologies has a commercialized product that does 40 Gbps over 150 km:

[www.aoptix.com]

...It's based on the same adaptive optics technology Gizmodo previously posted on with regard to astronomy:

[gizmodo.com]

Segment7.1

AOptix Technologies has a commercialized product that can do 40 Gbps over 150km:

[www.aoptix.com]

...It uses the same adaptive optics technology you guys have previously posted on with regard to astronomy:

[gizmodo.com]

Segment7.1

@shockwaver: OOooh! Canada-US flatness throwdown!

Margatron

This technology may someday be used for long-distance voice-and-data backhaul (think WiMax on photon-steroids) replacing now-antiquated microwave backhaul and in the nearer term to provide extreme bandwidth to businesses in high density areas (shorter distances, between big office buildings- check out TeraBeam), but I think it is unlikely to ever provide "last mile" connectivity to homes or individual users due to the directionality of focused "frickin' laser beams". Lasers are, however, extremely susceptible to atmospheric interference- i.e. rain, snow and fog. So, who knows. Maybe this is just a nifty piece of lab work that will never hit the streets...

jaiku

@WiglyWorm: Southwestern OH (Cinci area) is hilly as anywhere else, but move north on 75 towards Toledo (or even 71 towards Colombus) and it's definitely flat.

jlawson

@tsunamisurf: " I do not see why they would combine 2 of the same signal, it would just increase the amplitude and not the frequency (constructive interference). "

Only if they're on the same phase.

ripfire

if they are combining 2 lasers, then one should be modulating the other. I do not see why they would combine 2 of the same signal, it would just increase the amplitude and not the frequency (constructive interference). but the future rests with optical wireless networking guys. get wit it

tsunamisurf

@D.E.P.C.: MAN! Your state is so hilly, that when the dog runs away, you can only see it run for TWO DAYS!

shockwaver