We couldn’t let 2016 slip into history without recognizing a milestone anniversary. Fifty years ago, research engineer Sir Charles Kao published his findings on fiber optic communications in a paper read by his peers.

Copper cabling was the transport medium of the day and what Sir Kao proposed was quite remarkable. His 1966 paper detailed experiments involving laser beams traveling down strands of optical glass fiber, which eventually earned him a place in history as the ‘Godfather of Broadband’.

    

There’s a tactical reason why fighter pilots need good vision. He who sees first, strikes first. But anymore, that kind of vigilance takes more than good eyesight.

 Today’s next-generation avionics include thermal and infrared imaging, better radar systems and enhanced surveillance systems that require the transference of huge amounts of data in real-time. 

    

Every enterprise should have a safe and secure environment for its employees, customers and people in general. There are plenty of technologies to assist in securing just about anything today, but what nobody is telling you is that there’s a fly in the ointment!

    

Fiber optic communication has revolutionized telephone, internet, and television communication since its development and early uses in the 1970s. Continuing development and technological advances in the fiber optics industry will further advance communications across the globe. Today, the primary infrastructure for much of the internet consists of fiber optics-developing ways to increase the speed of these connections would have a huge impact on internet function for all users, even those not connected with optical cables. Researchers at the University of California (San Diego) have discovered a breakthrough that could potentially double the speed of fiber optic networks.

    

 Fiber Optic systems are pretty forgiving, especially when compared to copper systems. That being said, it's always good practice to have a handle on your Power Budget, Loss Budget and Performance Margin when working with an optical system. Even if you rely on trained professionals to handle your structured cabling, it's a good idea to understand these concepts - after all, knowledge is power.

    

Dark fiber would make a great name for a cereal brand.

At least then we’d know what to expect, unlike the leased dark fiber options companies are faced with these days.

Just because fiber optical cabling is labeled “dark fiber,” it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is so. Not in the true sense of the term, anyway. 

    

"I hate you!" Okay, let me clarify this right away. This was said to me by a very dear friend of mine in the heat of an audio battle during the first song of the night. To get some perspective, we’ll start at the beginning.

    

We’ve all done it. Missed the obvious. Just this weekend I was running late to a mutual friend's barbecue and figured I’d leave the navigating to my iPhone in order to make up the time.

Siri hardly ever lets me down.

    

As with anything that is not familiar to us, it is human nature to think that something mystical, or difficult to understand must be involved in the creation of that which is not familiar and already understood.

    

The more one learns about microtrenching, the crazier the old way of bringing in optical cable seems.