Items tagged with loon
Google has quickly transformed from a search engine to a hub of innovation, crafting everything from Gmail to Google Fiber -- a dedicated ISP. Google's impact is impressive, and one of the most outlandish attempts to change the world seems to be doing just that. Last year, Project Loon was unveiled, which sought to send a balloon up into the air and around the world in an attempt to broadcast Internet down to areas that didn't yet have access via more conventional means. This week, Google revealed that one of its balloons had completed a lap around the entire globe in 22 days. It sounds like something of science fiction, but it's very real. Here's a snippet from Google about its specific journey:...
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You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who would suggest that Bill Gates isn't a pretty intelligent guy. But, he's also Microsoft at his core, and that company doesn't exactly "get along" with the likes of Samsung, Apple, and Google. Lately, Gates has taken a particularly harsh tone in regard to Google's Project Loon -- a wild initiative that puts Internet distribution up in the clouds. The goal was to provide Internet to rural and under-served areas via floating balloons, but Gates is suggesting that it simply will not help the poor. According to Gates: "When you're dying of malaria... I'm not sure how [the Loon balloons will] help you. When a kid gets diarrhea, there's no website that relieves...
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