A fascinating video about the physicality of the Internet. Cyberspace isn’t virtual, but a construction project with its own unique characteristics.

Another odd little fact about the physicality of the electronic age — the weight of a full Kindle exceeds the weight of an empty Kindle. The extra weight of electrons needed to maintain the memory of a full Kindle equals the weight of a small virus — a billionth of a billionth of a gram.

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Kent Anderson

Kent Anderson

Kent Anderson is the CEO of RedLink and RedLink Network, a past-President of SSP, and the founder of the Scholarly Kitchen. He has worked as Publisher at AAAS/Science, CEO/Publisher of JBJS, Inc., a publishing executive at the Massachusetts Medical Society, Publishing Director of the New England Journal of Medicine, and Director of Medical Journals at the American Academy of Pediatrics. Opinions on social media or blogs are his own.

Discussion

3 Thoughts on "The Internet Can Be Touched — The Physicality of Cyberspace"

Your comment about the weight of electrons adding to the weight of a kindle reminds me of a little known or considered fact. Given Moore’s Law and the exponential increase in mankind’s use of electronics, it is possible to calculate the date on which we will exhaust the supply of electrons.

What we will do then? Will that be the savior of the printed book?

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