Beaming Internet From Drones

Facebook is reportedly in talks to purchase a company called Titan Aerospace, which makes solar-powered drones that can fly around without needing to land for five years. These drones may be used as satellites to project free Internet to developing nations from outer space. This is part of their philosophy that everyone in the world should have free access to the internet and all the communication services that come with the world wide web. You may be wondering: Is it legal for Facebook to just launch a bunch of flying machines over Africa and have them chill there for five years? Sort of! Because these drones are deemed satellites and they’re being launched to a height above the official U.S. Class A airspace (about 60,000 feet), the country isn’t able to regulate them. Obviously this law will be different in, say, Africa (where Facebook reportedly aims to launch the program first).

The Internet of the Future

So here we are with all this technology at our fingertips and the question becomes, what is next? What will the future of the internet and website development look like? A lot of people speculate that it will be more pervasive but less visible. This might be an indication of the idea that we are always going to be online and connected. To some degree, that should make us a bit more nervous. Speaking of always being connected, it will eliminate the need for some professions, or at least nearly as many open spots for them. With existing resources like Wikipedia and Khan Academy, the Internet currently provides access to education like never before. Many of the academics surveyed believe that these resources will only get better over time, creating a more equal playing field. The internet will also break down geography and at the same time make us more lonely. While our interactions may increase, they will also become more superficial and unsustainable. Any thoughts?