CMFINC
04-24-2010, 01:34 PM
C/P
Volcanic ash cloud threatens to choke satellite networks
If a volcano erupts in Iceland and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
The answer, following the almost movie like events of the last few days is yes —and it sounds like Sh2 billion going down a drain.
Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption had far-reaching effects, affecting everyone from farm workers from the plains of Naivasha to beach fatigued tourists in Mombasa.
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Few are aware that as the ominous cloud that hung over European airspace it was also working its magic in the technology world as well.
Long after the planes start flying again and the volcanic dust literally settles, many eyes shall remain turned upwards, with worries that the world’s intricate network of satellites could suffer a possible fallout after the eruption.
John Yates, Chair of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Satellite Network, warns that volcanic ash could also reduce the performance of satellite dishes, potentially interrupting television viewing and communication services for millions around the world.
Talking to UK press, Mr Yates said the degree to which the ash will affects the dishes depends on climatic conditions.
If it rains, the wet conditions prior to the ash landing on earth will make it sticky, causing serious service interruptions as the ash attaches to satellite dishes.
The only solution if that were to happen would be to hope for more rain – and lots of it – to wash the ash off the dishes.
The cloud has wide-spread implications for Iceland itself, which was in the midst of engineering its grand plan to position itself as a data centre to the world (just in case you were wondering what else happens in Iceland when volcanos are not erupting).
Touting itself as “the coolest location for data centres” Iceland launched a massive campaign to market itself to the world in 2007, championing itself as a green data centre, which can be powered by its boundless reserves of geothermal energy.
Ironically, the source of that very energy is what powered Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption.
A data centre is a facility that provides storage and management of server, network and computer equipment, a function that is increasingly being outsourced to third parties by companies in the interests of data protection and for backup purposes.
Worries now abound that the country’s grand plan to host the world’s data centres are at risk from volcano particles, citing a similar incident in Australia last year where data centres had to be shut down due to a major dust storm. But to every cloud there is a silver lining.
Enriched Nutrients
Iceland will benefit from the enriched nutrients in the ash as it makes landfall and creates the world’s best fertilizer as it mixes with Iceland’s soil.
In addition, Europe as a whole is set to benefit from a variety of mesmerizing sunsets as the cloud diffuses light in new, colourful ways.
This will hopefully distract many from the fact that the last time Eyjafjallajokull decided to blow its top, it lasted two years.
Source: Business Daily
Volcanic ash cloud threatens to choke satellite networks
If a volcano erupts in Iceland and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
The answer, following the almost movie like events of the last few days is yes —and it sounds like Sh2 billion going down a drain.
Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption had far-reaching effects, affecting everyone from farm workers from the plains of Naivasha to beach fatigued tourists in Mombasa.
l
Few are aware that as the ominous cloud that hung over European airspace it was also working its magic in the technology world as well.
Long after the planes start flying again and the volcanic dust literally settles, many eyes shall remain turned upwards, with worries that the world’s intricate network of satellites could suffer a possible fallout after the eruption.
John Yates, Chair of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Satellite Network, warns that volcanic ash could also reduce the performance of satellite dishes, potentially interrupting television viewing and communication services for millions around the world.
Talking to UK press, Mr Yates said the degree to which the ash will affects the dishes depends on climatic conditions.
If it rains, the wet conditions prior to the ash landing on earth will make it sticky, causing serious service interruptions as the ash attaches to satellite dishes.
The only solution if that were to happen would be to hope for more rain – and lots of it – to wash the ash off the dishes.
The cloud has wide-spread implications for Iceland itself, which was in the midst of engineering its grand plan to position itself as a data centre to the world (just in case you were wondering what else happens in Iceland when volcanos are not erupting).
Touting itself as “the coolest location for data centres” Iceland launched a massive campaign to market itself to the world in 2007, championing itself as a green data centre, which can be powered by its boundless reserves of geothermal energy.
Ironically, the source of that very energy is what powered Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption.
A data centre is a facility that provides storage and management of server, network and computer equipment, a function that is increasingly being outsourced to third parties by companies in the interests of data protection and for backup purposes.
Worries now abound that the country’s grand plan to host the world’s data centres are at risk from volcano particles, citing a similar incident in Australia last year where data centres had to be shut down due to a major dust storm. But to every cloud there is a silver lining.
Enriched Nutrients
Iceland will benefit from the enriched nutrients in the ash as it makes landfall and creates the world’s best fertilizer as it mixes with Iceland’s soil.
In addition, Europe as a whole is set to benefit from a variety of mesmerizing sunsets as the cloud diffuses light in new, colourful ways.
This will hopefully distract many from the fact that the last time Eyjafjallajokull decided to blow its top, it lasted two years.
Source: Business Daily