Re: How big is the Internet?

[Dave Sparro <dsparro () gmail com>]

On 8/16/2013 12:46 AM, Patrick W. Gilmore wrote:
> On Aug 16, 2013, at 00:37 , Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com> wrote:
> > On Thu, 15 Aug 2013, Seth Mattinen wrote:
> > > We'll also need this data in units of number of Libraries of Congress.
> > The researchers at the Library of Congress are more than happy to explain why you are wrong to attempt to use the 
> > Library of Congress as a unit of measure, and why the estimates being used are wrong.
> >
> > http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2011/07/transferring-libraries-of-congress-of-data/
> >
> > along with several other blog posts over the years.
> >
> > But it doesn't seem to stop people from wanting to 1) know how big the Library of Congress is and 2) using it as a unit 
> > of measure.
> >
> > It seems odd that there are relatively good estimates for other communication networks and utilities; i.e. how big is 
> > the PSTN, how many television or radio stations, how much freight is carried by railroads, trucks and ships.  But 
> > asking how big is the Internet, how much data does it carry, ends up with no answer.
> >
> > Even the researchers at the Library of Congress, if you give them enough beer and beg them enough, will eventually give 
> > you an estimate
> > about the Library collection size as of the end of the last year.
> >
> > What so special about the Internet that it can't be measured?
> Complete lack of regulation, and in many cases, even billing.
>
> You cannot make a call on the PSTN without someone getting money from someone else and a CDR 
> (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_detail_record>) being created. Television & radio stations are trivially countable and 
> probably literally a a dozen or more orders of magnitude off the number of packets on the Internet. Railroads are similarly tiny in 
> number and bill for freight. Roads are built by taxpayer dollars, so the gov't keeps a good account. Etc., etc.
>
> The Internet is the first world-wide "thing" that doesn't bill based on where you send something, what you are doing, why 
> you do it, and in many cases, even how much you do. Moreover, anyone can set up anything on it without asking the gov't for permission.
>
> This has enabled the impossible growth curve seen the last 20 years, but also made it impossible to count, categorize, or 
> control. Which pisses off some people (usually governments), but makes others (e.g. me!) all warm & fuzzy inside.
That's probably the best answer, but I'd add that nobody has gathered 
sufficient quantities of beer to give to the for-profit companies that 
are in a position to gather the requested data.  If somebody wants to 
collect that much beer, what would the rest of us drink?

--
Dave