Comments on: Pigeon tops broadband in data transfer http://www.ohmidog.com/2009/09/10/pigeon-tops-broadband-in-data-transfer/ a site for dog lovers Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:21:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: 1800PetMeds Blog http://www.ohmidog.com/2009/09/10/pigeon-tops-broadband-in-data-transfer/comment-page-1/#comment-9733 1800PetMeds Blog Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:14:21 +0000 http://www.ohmidog.com/?p=12620#comment-9733 That is an interesting read. It's quite ironical considering the advances in technology - and it all boils down to resorting to conventional methods :) That is an interesting read. It’s quite ironical considering the advances in technology – and it all boils down to resorting to conventional methods :)

]]> By: Anne'n'Spencer http://www.ohmidog.com/2009/09/10/pigeon-tops-broadband-in-data-transfer/comment-page-1/#comment-9715 Anne'n'Spencer Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:03:45 +0000 http://www.ohmidog.com/?p=12620#comment-9715 OK, geek warning here. Pigeons have a long and honorable Internet tradition; in fact, it dates back to 1990 when a fellow named Waitzman authored a "A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers." The memo was written in the form of a standard Internet request for comment (RFC). You can read the whole thing here, if you're so inclined: http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1149.html. In 2001, a group actually used pigeons to send a "ping" command, one of the most elementary network interactions. One computer on a network "pings" another, which essentially sends back a packet that says, "Yeah. I'm here." The necessary data was printed, tied to a pigeon's leg, er transmitted, and transferred to the receiving computer via optical character recognition (OCR). The process was then reversed. It's said that Linus Torvalds, father of the Linux operating system, was part of the group that did this. According to somebody on Slashdot a couple of weeks ago, there is a group that is actually putting pigeons to good use for data transmission. It's a Grand Canyon expedition company that leads whitewater rafting trips down the Colorado. They tie a data stick with each day's photographs to a pigeon, which takes it back to headquarters so the pictures can be printed and ready when the rafters return to home base. I hope the people in South Africa are making backups of their backups. I understand that it's possible to experience 100% data loss with this method--all you have to do is lose a pigeon. OK, geek warning here.

Pigeons have a long and honorable Internet tradition; in fact, it dates back to 1990 when a fellow named Waitzman authored a “A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers.” The memo was written in the form of a standard Internet request for comment (RFC). You can read the whole thing here, if you’re so inclined: http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1149.html.

In 2001, a group actually used pigeons to send a “ping” command, one of the most elementary network interactions. One computer on a network “pings” another, which essentially sends back a packet that says, “Yeah. I’m here.” The necessary data was printed, tied to a pigeon’s leg, er transmitted, and transferred to the receiving computer via optical character recognition (OCR). The process was then reversed. It’s said that Linus Torvalds, father of the Linux operating system, was part of the group that did this.

According to somebody on Slashdot a couple of weeks ago, there is a group that is actually putting pigeons to good use for data transmission. It’s a Grand Canyon expedition company that leads whitewater rafting trips down the Colorado. They tie a data stick with each day’s photographs to a pigeon, which takes it back to headquarters so the pictures can be printed and ready when the rafters return to home base.

I hope the people in South Africa are making backups of their backups. I understand that it’s possible to experience 100% data loss with this method–all you have to do is lose a pigeon.

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