1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,160 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the Reinvented two thousand twelve cameray. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:09,040 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology? With 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: tech Stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hello there, everybody, 4 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech Stuff. My name is Chris Polette. 5 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: I'm an editor here at how stuff works dot com 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 1: and sitting next to me as usual as senior writer 7 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. Hey there, all right, we're gonna get back 8 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,599 Speaker 1: in your new discussion of our discussion that we had 9 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: long abandoned. For those of you who are a long 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: time listeners, we used to talk about some of the 11 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: personalities that we think had a huge impact on the 12 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: tech world, and we kind of haven't done it a one. Yeah, 13 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: we we we hit a few big names early on, 14 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: like Dean Cayman and Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and 15 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: then we kind of went quiet for a while. So 16 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: we thought we'd go back and revisit that kind of 17 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: uh you know topic. It's it's interesting to talk about. 18 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: So today we're talking about venton vent Surf. All right, 19 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: where do you want to start from the beginning? Yeah, Well, 20 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: a lot of you, uh you younger listeners might not 21 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: have ever heard of him. Yeah, but he's very important. 22 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, you probably would not be 23 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: listening to us at all if it were not. Actually, 24 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: we probably wouldn't have the jobs we have right now 25 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,479 Speaker 1: if it weren't for Venten Surf. Thank you, Mr Surf. 26 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: Right um ac, Yes, doctor Surf. In fact, he holds 27 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:32,199 Speaker 1: many degrees, Yes, he does, lots and lots of degrees. 28 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: So he has a he has a PhD in computer 29 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: science and uh um he has a Bachelor of Science 30 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 1: and mathematics, and then he has all these honorary degrees. 31 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: Um smart, smart, guy, wicked smart, you might say if 32 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: you were from the northeast. Um. So he's also referred 33 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: to very often as one of the fathers of the Internet. 34 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: And you might wonder why that is, Like did he 35 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: actually build the physical uh machines that make up the Internet. Well, 36 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: to to really understand this, when to go back a 37 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: little before Vinton Serf became involved in this project. How 38 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: far back? Alright, So back in the fifties, the nineteen fifties, Yes, 39 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: not the seventeen fifties or anything like. You're going that 40 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: far back. The fifties alright, So the Soviet Union launches 41 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: sput nick all right, very small round silver thing that 42 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 1: beeped a lot went beep. That's pretty much all it did, 43 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: and m and scared people. And it scared people for 44 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: two reasons. One they were thinking, does this mean that 45 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union can spy on the United States because 46 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 1: the United States and Soviet Union were then engaged in 47 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: what was known as the Cold War. And yes, and 48 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: and even more frightening than that, if the Soviet Union 49 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: had the capability of launching a rocket into space, it 50 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: could also launch a rocket at the United States and 51 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: cause massive amounts of damage. Now, at this time, computers 52 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: were rare. There are only a you computers in the 53 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: United States. Um. And they were big, huge machines, taking 54 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: up entire floors of buildings in some cases. And um 55 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: they're centralized. They were not able to communicate with one 56 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: another in any easy way. So there was a need 57 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: to find a way to have computers communicate with one 58 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: another so that you decentralize this computing power. UM. Because 59 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: the idea was that if if there were an attack 60 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: on the United States on one of these computing sites 61 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,839 Speaker 1: and it was hit, you would lose that information forever, right, 62 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: So you wanted to find a way where you can 63 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: move information around very quickly, and you wanted to create 64 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: it in such a way so that if one particular 65 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: site were hit, the entire network could still function without it. Right. 66 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: So this was this became the the area of interest 67 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: for the Department of Defense UM. They had the Advanced 68 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: Research Projects Agency, which at the time was called ARPA. 69 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: We now know it as DARPA UM and they wanted 70 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: to come up with this computer network idea, the way 71 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: of networking computers together so they can communicate. And uh, 72 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: and so the ARPA net project began. Yeah, this is 73 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: the late sixties, right right, And uh, that might sound 74 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: somewhat familiar to you because you're thinking, well, you know, 75 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 1: the Internet is a bunch of computers connected together that 76 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 1: that you know, Hey, look that's the Internet. Well yes, 77 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: but not quite yet, because it's all these computers. We're 78 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: all running different and very odd operating systems in a 79 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: lot of cases written specifically for that machine, right, And 80 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: and so they didn't really talk the same language exactly. 81 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: And the Internet is really a network of networks, so 82 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:46,840 Speaker 1: it gets a little more complicated. Arpanet was really just 83 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: a network, that's true. Yes, the arpanet was the Internet 84 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: didn't exist on the scale, and it did does now right. 85 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: In fact, at the beginning, Arpanet only had four nodes 86 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 1: um for computers that were connected to another, so it 87 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: was one network. But yes, as Plett pointed out, each 88 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: of these computers had its own sort of proprietary language. 89 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: Now they could all understand binary, but that's about it. 90 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: So one of the challenges was to find a way 91 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: to connect these computers together physically because they were located 92 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: miles and miles and miles apart um across the United 93 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: States in one case, and then beyond that, find a 94 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,160 Speaker 1: way where once they're physically connected, how can they actually 95 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: exchange information. So in the nineteen seventies, remember nineteen sixties 96 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: was when ar Ponnette the project started. Now, in the 97 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: nineteen seventies, Venton Surf joined the Arpanette project, and it 98 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: was Venton's job, along with a couple of others, including 99 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: Robert Kahn, to come up with a way to create 100 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 1: a protocol, a set of rules for these computers to 101 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: use to communicate with each other that any computer could understand. Now, 102 00:05:56,160 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 1: the original protocol was the Network Control p call. Wasn't 103 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 1: that network something like that? It was a network communication protocol, 104 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: I guess is what it was, the n c P. Yeah, 105 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: and I remember it by its initials. I don't remember 106 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 1: the initials. Someone will right in and correct me. So 107 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: that's that's fine. I'll address that in the future episode. 108 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: But the n c P UM. The problem with n 109 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: c P was that it didn't scale very well. It 110 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: just didn't have the capability to handle lots of computers. 111 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: That worked fine for a small scale and didn't Surf 112 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: originally worked a little bit on this project, but everyone 113 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: realized I needed to find something new if they wanted 114 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: to create a real network of networks. Believe that's network control, 115 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: program control. I just only see I didn't hit all right, 116 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: So you don't have to write in because Plett actually 117 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: just pulled up this municipal thing called Google, which I've 118 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: heard about. You know it it works over this thing 119 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: called the Internet. Yeah, well we're getting there and that 120 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: runs on alright. So what we're getting to is the 121 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: TCP slash i P protocols. And I know there's someone 122 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: out there right now who's yelling at me because as 123 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: the P stands for protocol, and I said protocols, just 124 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: you know, take a volume, Take a deep breath, it's 125 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: gonna be all right. So these the t c P 126 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,239 Speaker 1: and i P protocols. Uh, so you might be wondering, 127 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: all right, so what the heck are these things? So 128 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:18,760 Speaker 1: i P stands for Internet Protocol. TP is Transmission control protocol, yes, 129 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: and the i P what that does. It moves the 130 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 1: packets of data around from one node to another. That's 131 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: the that's the set of rules that governs that transmission 132 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: of information. YEP. Like everything else computer, it has to 133 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 1: be planned down to a very fine set of details. 134 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: And so this is basically the highway part of the 135 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: information super highway. If we're gonna overuse that metaphor, but yeah, 136 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: I mean it has to have the the right paving 137 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: that the cars can travel on if we're gonna go 138 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: with that. Okay, So the t c P I P 139 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,239 Speaker 1: helps packets get from one place to the other because 140 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: you know, they need the right type of of transmission 141 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: to get from one place to the other. So that's 142 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: the one that everybody is settled on now. It's very efficient, 143 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 1: it works, you know. And the Transmission control protocol part 144 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: is uh, that's what is responsible for verifying the correct 145 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 1: delivery of data from client to server. So they're kind 146 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: of two different protocols that are always grouped together, so 147 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 1: we almost think of them as a single entity. That's 148 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: why you usually hear TCP slash I p UM. And 149 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: without it, we wouldn't have a standardized way of of 150 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: exchanging information across the network, which would mean that when 151 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: you had two different networks and you wanted to connect 152 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:37,719 Speaker 1: the too, you would have to find a brand new 153 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: way to have them communicate without this protocol. But because 154 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 1: this was set upon so early, UM, we can thank 155 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 1: that and serve for creating a way for different computer 156 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: networks to exchange information. So if you work at a 157 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: at an office that has its own computer network, or 158 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 1: if you go to a college or school that has 159 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 1: its own network that also connects to the Internet, the TCP, SLASH, 160 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: I p those those protocols, that's what allows you to 161 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: to get that information. Otherwise he would only be restricted 162 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: to whatever happened to be on your local area network. Yeah, 163 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 1: and I think, uh, I think this important piece of 164 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: work is why he has so widely recognized, although there's 165 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: so many other things that he's involved in. UM. You know, 166 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: of course, now he's the vice president and Chief Internet 167 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: Evangelist for Google. Yes, I like that chief Internet evangelist 168 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: step forward and be healed here. Well, well, not exactly. 169 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: I know. I'm sorry. I was brought up in the 170 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: Bible belt. Well that's you know, that's one form of 171 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 1: evangelism that, yes, he does. He is sort of an 172 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 1: ambassador for the Internet. Not like the Internet needs one. Um, 173 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: but yeah, he's he's Um, he's a big important guy 174 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: over at Google. In fact, he was so important that 175 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 1: he was on the list of a lot of people's 176 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: guesses for who Bamba might pick as ct O. That's true, 177 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: that's true. That's a brand new office, the the Chief 178 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: Technology Officer of the United States. Um And he was 179 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 1: on a list of some very distinguished names. Yes, but 180 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: was not ultimately chosen. No. Um, but that's that's neither 181 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: here nor there. Let's let's stick on, Mr sir. Well, 182 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,319 Speaker 1: I'm not sure. I'm not sure he would have left 183 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:28,839 Speaker 1: Google anyway. Yeah, see gig So, so let's say, all right, 184 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: so he was working with DARPA until the early eighties. 185 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: Um So, through the seventies into the eighties, he he 186 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: helped he and Robert con helped define exactly how the 187 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: transmission of data was going to to happen across networks. 188 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:45,200 Speaker 1: Uh in the early eighties. Now remember this is this 189 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: is back when the Internet is still pretty much just 190 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 1: in the realm of government agencies and universities. So he 191 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,199 Speaker 1: leaves and joins the m c I. Who comes a 192 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: vice president of m c I for a while. Then 193 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: for a while he was a vice president for the 194 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: Corporation for Natural Research, initially of National Research Initiatives. Yes, 195 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:07,199 Speaker 1: I natural it's a national didn't I, I don't know. Well, 196 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: then Corporation for National Research Initiatives. Naturally, and because I 197 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: do do that, it happens. But then after that he 198 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 1: went back to m c I became a senior vice president. 199 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,440 Speaker 1: He was there until about two thousan five and eventually 200 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: then he made his way over to Google, where he Um, 201 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: he still does a lot of important presentations. Um, he's 202 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 1: still very much involved in and things that are transmission 203 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: of data across networks. I mean, he's still very, very 204 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: heavily involved in that kind of work. Well, it makes 205 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: a lot of sense, you know, given how invested Google 206 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:49,600 Speaker 1: is in the Internet, you know, not just the search 207 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: engine aspect of the company, but you know, they do 208 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: so much innovative work on new initiatives. That makes sense 209 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 1: that they would want someone along who had that kind 210 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: of experience. I mean, they their goal is to organize 211 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,719 Speaker 1: the world's information. That's that goes so far beyond just 212 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: the Internet in a way you think the Internet search 213 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:12,319 Speaker 1: engine that was the first step. Ultimately Google will be 214 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: in charge of everything or else, which is why I 215 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: joined ranks early, working my way up. You know your 216 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: place in the in the Google Yes, exactly, I'm I'm 217 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: I'm a low level evangelist for Google. So um. But yeah, 218 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: let's let's talk about some of the other stuff. He's 219 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:36,120 Speaker 1: he's also involved in the UH in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 220 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: He's he's working on a design for interplanetary Internet. Interplanetary Internet. Yeah, 221 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 1: I you know what, I didn't turn that one up. 222 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: You didn't know that. Yeah, that was one of the 223 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: projects that the Jet Propulsion Laboratories working on is finding 224 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:54,079 Speaker 1: a way to create Internet links so that when man 225 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:58,560 Speaker 1: does colonize things like the Moon or Mars, that there 226 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,440 Speaker 1: is a way to have of Internet communication between the 227 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: Earth and wherever those other folks happen to be. You know, 228 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 1: when they when they get to Mars and some of 229 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 1: those other places. They're going to find that there's a 230 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,319 Speaker 1: Starbucks in a subway on every corner, are they. Well? 231 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:13,920 Speaker 1: I was thinking that when they get to Mars, there 232 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,839 Speaker 1: darnwell gonna want the internet because what else is there 233 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,199 Speaker 1: going to be doing? I mean, besides surviving? What else 234 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: do you have to do? That's a good point. How's 235 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:28,840 Speaker 1: the weather, red? Yeah? Kinda wait, back to a back 236 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 1: to events surfing, right, we were talking about him. I 237 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 1: was amused to find out that he was a technical 238 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 1: advisor for Gene Roddenberry's Earth Final Conflict, and he even 239 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: made a guest appearance in Yes I remember it well. 240 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: He's even been on Next Wave with Leonard Nimoi, Live 241 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: Long and prosper So, so you know, yeah, he's a 242 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: happening guy. Yeah. Yeah, unless he's a you know, a 243 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,839 Speaker 1: fellow of the I triple e yes. Yes, And he 244 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,839 Speaker 1: said on the board of CAN and a C M 245 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: and a A S. And he has has Academy of 246 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: Arts and Science and he has more awards than I 247 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: can even count. I actually, uh, honestly, guys, I honestly 248 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 1: had a photo of vents surf hanging in my cubicle 249 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: until fairly recently. That is very impressive. It was given 250 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: to me by our own Candice Keener, after I had 251 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: no idea. I wrote, and well, this is I'd seen 252 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: it there, but I didn't know that's where it came from. 253 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: For those of you who are who are keeping up 254 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 1: with all of our podcasts, and you know Candice Keener 255 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 1: from the stuff you missed in history class, Candice used 256 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: to be my editor, but then apparently she did something 257 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 1: right and I got shifted over to Pallette, who apparently 258 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: was behaving poorly and that's why he has to be 259 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: edit me. So but yes, back when Candice was my editor, 260 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,560 Speaker 1: I wrote a couple of articles about our pinette and 261 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: how did the Internet get started, which involved Vent and Surf, 262 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: and it was apparently quite clear that I admired the man, 263 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: and so she printed out ay a photo of Mr Surf, 264 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 1: doctor surf um with a loving message beneath it, and uh, 265 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 1: I had that up in my cubicle until very recently. 266 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: I took it down when when Discovery Communications people came 267 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:17,840 Speaker 1: through the office. Well, um, you know, I just think 268 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: that doctor Surf is one of those people that has 269 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: had such an amazing role in all of our lives, 270 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,480 Speaker 1: but you just don't really know. Yeah, he's not one 271 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: of those personalities that gets out there and you know, 272 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: it's not not sort of an attention hound or anything 273 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: like that. And and he's definitely not you know, the 274 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: he's not in the foreground of any particular movement or anything. 275 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: So it's quite possible that if you're not you know, 276 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 1: if you're not a student of the Internet, you wouldn't 277 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 1: even know his name. That that's uh, that's very true. 278 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: And there are lots and lots of other people who 279 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: have played a part like that. Yeah, the team we 280 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: should we should hasten to add that the team that 281 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: designed to our pannette and the the other systems that 282 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: eventually morphed into the Internet, uh, was rather large. Um. 283 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: There were dozens of people involved in this, not just 284 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: than Surf and Robert Kahn, there are plenty of others 285 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,640 Speaker 1: and um uh and all things considered, they built it 286 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: in a very short period of time, got it to work. UM. 287 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: Just very impressive. Yeah, and it's one of those things 288 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 1: where people were impressed at that that things like the 289 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: TCP slash i P was able to scale so well 290 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: because originally there was talk of of of redoing it 291 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 1: before the Internet really took off. Um, But they discovered 292 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 1: that was much more robust than they had they had anticipated, 293 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 1: so it ended up serving just fine. Um. That's probably 294 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: one of the reasons why some people talk about the 295 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:49,120 Speaker 1: need for an Internet too, because we can build on 296 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,840 Speaker 1: what we learned from Internet one and create an even 297 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: better system. Now, the thing is that the original Internet 298 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: is so well entrenched at this point, Um, doesn't make 299 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 1: more sense to create a brand new system or does 300 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 1: it just make more sense to keep on adding to 301 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 1: the one we've already got. I sense foreshadowing here. What then, 302 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:10,880 Speaker 1: maybe we'll do an article or or a podcast later 303 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 1: about Internet to I wouldn't say that we're going to 304 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,879 Speaker 1: do a podcast later about Internet to know. You wouldn't know, 305 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:20,200 Speaker 1: but we are, Okay, so you did. Yeah anyhow, Yeah, 306 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: it'll probably come much later, after we've done a lot 307 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: more research. But yeah, it's you know, it's a testimony 308 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 1: to how well it works and how robust it is 309 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 1: that that we're still using it thirty years later plus 310 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 1: years later. And now granted now most of us are 311 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: only been using it for since the at the earliest, 312 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:41,199 Speaker 1: since the early nineties. I guess some some of us 313 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,400 Speaker 1: probably earlier than that, if we've worked on government systems 314 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:48,439 Speaker 1: or in colleges. But um, I remember my first real 315 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: encounter with the internet had to be when I got 316 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: into college, so sometime around ninety three, maybe I just 317 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 1: gave away my age. Yeah yeah, yeah, mine was before that, 318 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:07,400 Speaker 1: So I remember the clay tablets. I remember I wrote 319 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 1: about that. So anyway, that's a that's a that's a 320 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 1: just a brief rundown on Mr Doctor surf um and 321 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:19,439 Speaker 1: hopefully you learned a little bit more about him in 322 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 1: this podcast. He's, like we said, a very fascinating person. 323 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: So and you know, if you want to read more, 324 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: there's plenty of information out there about him. And as 325 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 1: we said, he's still very much active in guiding the 326 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: way we transmit information. So once again, thank you Dr 327 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: Surf because I like this job. Yeah no kidding, Well, 328 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:42,199 Speaker 1: that wraps up all I had to talk about. Do 329 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: you have anything else you when I add, not really? Well, 330 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 1: I guess that just brings us back round again to 331 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 1: listener me. You know, you can thank TC T I 332 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: P for allowing you to hear that sound or a 333 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,880 Speaker 1: cursive whichever is you know you prefer, I know which 334 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:07,960 Speaker 1: I prefer. So this email comes from Robert in Indiana. Hi, 335 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 1: I just wanted to write and tell you guys, I 336 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,159 Speaker 1: love your podcast. I had a question though about IP addresses. 337 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: What exactly are they and why are they important? So 338 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:17,960 Speaker 1: we you know, we talked a little bit about the 339 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,880 Speaker 1: Internet Protocol, so I thought we could kind of hit 340 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,920 Speaker 1: IP addresses. UM. One of the ways, the one of 341 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 1: the reasons the Internet actually works is because this this 342 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: IP address idea it gives it's like a physical address 343 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,240 Speaker 1: in a way, except that you know, it's not anchored 344 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:41,359 Speaker 1: to a physical location, but it's one allows computers to 345 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,639 Speaker 1: find one another, so that you can transmit information to 346 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:48,119 Speaker 1: and from one computer, and you know, or two different 347 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: computers really work. I think hundreds and hundreds of computers 348 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:55,879 Speaker 1: when you actually look at the process. But without IP addresses, 349 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: no computer would know where any other computer was, and 350 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 1: you wouldn't be able to get any information at all. 351 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:02,920 Speaker 1: So your IP address, you can think of it sort 352 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:05,120 Speaker 1: of like a street address in a way. Again, it's 353 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: not tied to a geographical location, but it is how 354 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 1: your computer identifies itself and identifies other computers, so that 355 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:16,200 Speaker 1: trans the transmission of information can occur. Yeah. Um, it's 356 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 1: actually very not particularly pleasant to look at. It's uh, 357 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:26,040 Speaker 1: in most cases, four sets of numbers, right, um, separated 358 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: by dots UM, and generally might be something like zero 359 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:34,439 Speaker 1: dot one oh one, dot two oh five, dot six. 360 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: Oh you're gonna get emails? No go ahead? What? No? No, 361 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: no go ahead? All right? Anyhow, that's that's I p 362 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: V four UM, And that's that's generally what we use now. 363 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 1: And there are a lot of different combinations that you 364 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:52,199 Speaker 1: can create with that, which gives us a lot of 365 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: different IP addresses. Of course, um. Coming up, they're working 366 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,200 Speaker 1: toward a newer system called i p V six, which 367 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:03,359 Speaker 1: offers even more combinations of numbers. Um. But yeah, I 368 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 1: mean it's not like you know, two Main Street, you know. Uh, 369 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,200 Speaker 1: it just uses a series of numbers and dots that 370 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: that helps you know, the information get to where it's 371 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: going from my place to the next. And the what 372 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:20,680 Speaker 1: you're familiar with domain names, those are really just kind 373 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: of a just sort of a mask that sits on 374 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:25,879 Speaker 1: top of the IP address and that sort of humanizes 375 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,960 Speaker 1: the IP address its remember and otherwise we would have 376 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: to remember these strings of numbers to send information to 377 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: specific computers, and that one't necessarily works so well because 378 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:41,119 Speaker 1: not every computer has a static IP address. I would 379 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:43,840 Speaker 1: think most don't. That's very true. Actually, I I used 380 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 1: to work for an Internet service provider and UM. One 381 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:49,159 Speaker 1: of the things they found out was that, you know, 382 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 1: they couldn't if everybody had a static IP address, which 383 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:55,360 Speaker 1: means one that doesn't change. UM. They had to continue 384 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: to buy more I P addresses, right, And the problem 385 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:02,719 Speaker 1: with that is, you know, well John and hasn't been 386 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 1: home for a week and his IP address is going unused. 387 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:09,119 Speaker 1: So finally they said, you know, look, we need to 388 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: assign these dynamically. You'll see dynamic IP addressing. That means 389 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: we've got a pool of fifty I P addresses and 390 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,440 Speaker 1: forty five people are online at any given time, then 391 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 1: we can just assign them as needed. You know, it's 392 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: yours as long as you're online and it doesn't change UM, 393 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: and as soon as you log off, it gets reassigned 394 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 1: to somebody else, and all the information that goes from 395 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,000 Speaker 1: that person's computer to the Internet and back with whatever 396 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:38,239 Speaker 1: information they're doing they're using, UM gets to where it's 397 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:40,479 Speaker 1: supposed to be going. But that's the difference in static 398 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:44,120 Speaker 1: and I p uh stack and dynamic IP addressing and uh, 399 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 1: you know it is a hard and fast identifier, but 400 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 1: your IP is probably assigning one to you on the fly, 401 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 1: depending on when you're online. And Robert had one other 402 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: question that we might try and answer. Okay, can I 403 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 1: be hacked if someone finds my IP address? Technically yeah 404 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 1: you can't. Yeah, huh, but they would have to know 405 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:13,400 Speaker 1: the thing about that is, they'd have to know exactly 406 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: where you are. I mean, somebody could randomly hack, you know, 407 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: direct an attack at that IP address. You could get 408 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:23,240 Speaker 1: a denial of service attack sent to your IP address 409 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: UM where people try to send you a lot of 410 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: messages all at once and take you offline. And that 411 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: could that could work very easily, but they would have 412 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: to know where you you know, if it was going 413 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: to come at you from a specific person, just what 414 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: are you afraid of? Um? Then who have you been 415 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,440 Speaker 1: taking off? Who have you been upsetting? Here? It wasn't 416 00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:47,639 Speaker 1: met and served smart, but yeah, he could probably figure 417 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:51,440 Speaker 1: out where your IP address this if you were online 418 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:54,400 Speaker 1: at that particular time. And this was theoretical until recently, 419 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:57,160 Speaker 1: I believe. Yeah, yeah, it is it is possible. I mean, 420 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:01,199 Speaker 1: you can also spoof an IP address with uh, you know, 421 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:06,719 Speaker 1: basically you appear to come from one IP address. You know, somebody, UM, 422 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 1: if you had a static IP address assigned to you, 423 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: and somebody else wanted to, um, you know, launch an 424 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: attack on somebody else and make make it look like 425 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:17,920 Speaker 1: it was from you, they could spoof. Uh, they could 426 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:21,240 Speaker 1: appear to be coming from your IP address, and then uh, 427 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: then everybody would come back to your house and go, hey, 428 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: what are you doing? You know what why you hate 429 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: me so much? Yeah? So theoretically possible, but it's kind 430 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,200 Speaker 1: of improbable. I mean, especially if you're on a dynamically 431 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:37,560 Speaker 1: assigned IP address like an average person would be, because 432 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: there then it's a one and fifty shot. Using the 433 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 1: example you used earlier, Okay, I'm not going for numbers 434 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:47,040 Speaker 1: that I didn't bother to look up. Well, no, that 435 00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 1: was just an example. When we're talking about major I 436 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: sp s, we're talking about huge numbers here. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, 437 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 1: so I was just using your Okay, that was it. 438 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,400 Speaker 1: So thanks very much Robert for your email. If any 439 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:01,120 Speaker 1: of you have any questions for us, you can write 440 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: us tech stuff at how stuff works dot com. And remember, 441 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:06,639 Speaker 1: at House of Works dot com we have lots of 442 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:10,320 Speaker 1: articles about everything from I p H to domain name 443 00:25:10,359 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: servers everything in between, So check that out and we 444 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 1: will talk to you again really soon for more on 445 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 1: this and thousands of other topics. Is it how stuff 446 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:27,120 Speaker 1: works dot com brought to you by the reinvented two 447 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:29,680 Speaker 1: thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are you