back to article Reg tours submarine cable survey ship
'Geo Resolution'

Chances are this story was brought to you by a submarine cable, the world-girdling network of optic fibres that just about make the internet possible. Which is why The Register jumped at the chance to visit the Geo Resolution, a survey ship that plans the routes for new cables. Geo Resolution is a rare craft. It started life …

  1. frank ly

    Interesting - Thank You

    That was great Simon. At first I was expecting video but a sequence of still pictures gives better quality images and better resolution. I hope El Reg can do some more of this type of article in the future.

    1. Commswonk

      Re: Interesting - Thank You

      Agree wholeheartedly. It's also nice to know that a perfectly serviceable vessel is serving a useful purpose after the role for which it was built came to an end.

      It's also nice to be reminded that behind all the hype of the internet there are people doing real work in conditions that from time to time will be rather unpleasant and even hostile. It's a pity that more people don't appreciate that as they consume more and more cat videos and post ever more mindless crap on social media.

      </meldrew>

    2. Anonymous Coward Silver badge
      Meh

      Re: Interesting - Thank You

      But would be even better as an actual sequence of photos, rather than a video slideshow.

      1. I am the liquor

        Re: Interesting - Thank You

        And if they wrote the text down instead of recording it on a Youtube video soundtrack, you could just read it without having to put your headphones on. Quicker, easier, and looks more like you're working.

        1. Simon Sharwood, Reg APAC Editor (Written by Reg staff)

          Re: Re: Interesting - Thank You

          Noted. I use a thing called "Sounslides" to do these. It can do captions. Now I need to learn how to make them work ...

        2. Intractable Potsherd

          Re: Interesting - Thank You

          In principle, this is a good idea, but not useful for the hearing-impaired - whilst I may be able to hear the commentary with earbuds (no Cyberman-style headphones connected to my phone!), it would still mean taking my hearing-aids out (which I don't like doing). Glad to read that you are looking at how to add text, Simon - thanks for that.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Very interesting - slight "but"

    Very interesting article, but I presume it's El Reg's publishing format that prevented this from being comments + large batch of good picture?

    The ever present issue with video is that it forces you to watch for the full duration. Granted, 4'19" isn't that much, but most of us are as a consequence of our job usually very good at quick scanning information, and I'm sure I would have "read" this article in 10..50% of the time it takes to go through the video with the added benefit of controlling the pace myself so I can focus or defocus depending on content.

    That said, it *was* informative, just curious about the motivation behind using video :)

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Gene Cash Silver badge

        Re: Very interesting - slight "but"

        Blocking jwpcdn.com gets you a link you can simply click.Their javascript or whatever made my browser crash 50% of the time I clicked it.

    2. Simon Sharwood, Reg APAC Editor (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Very interesting - slight "but"

      Motivation? Twofold.

      IMHO telling the story with images and sound makes it more interesting. Reg writers get the opportunity to see some cool stuff. I think (hope?) it serves readers well to share those experiences in the most visceral way we can muster.

      Second, we like to play with new storytelling ideas and techniques. And it's probably important we do so to keep the team and site evolving.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    at 3:51 is the quote:

    "...also to help us to learn how to lay good cables"...

    Not the first time I've heard that euphemism !!

  4. Stevie

    Bah!

    I've said it before and I'll say it again; connecting submarines to ships by cable so they can get internet is a foolish thing. The ship is a dead giveaway, negating all that taxpayer-funded stealth-tech in the quest for cat videos and tweets.

    Why can't these submariners make do with books, films and cold showers like they did in Ice Station Zebra?

    1. I am the liquor

      Re: Ice Station Zebra

      Ice Station Zebra party game: pick a bit of the movie where the sub is diving or surfacing. Everyone tries to guess what angle Patrick McGoohan will be standing at in the next shot. Match Patrick's declination and win a prize.

  5. kmac499

    Anyone who's had there fancy tickled by this track down a book called Tubes by Andrew Blum.

    It all starts from a squirrel munching his connection onto exploring the real places of t'internet..

  6. Gene Cash Silver badge

    Dammit. Now I'm going to "hear" every El Reg article in Simon's rather distinctive accent. (not that that's a bad thing, he's got a good speaking voice. Far better than my horrible mouse squeak.)

    1. Simon Sharwood, Reg APAC Editor (Written by Reg staff)

      Accent? It's the rest of you doing it wrong ...

      1. Franco

        Every time I hear an Australian say data it reminds me of the ribbing Adam Hills gets on The Last Leg from Alex and Josh.

        Anyway, very interesting article Simon. Personally I always enjoy the more nuts and bolts articles, E.g. The Geeks Guide to Britain series.

  7. Candy

    Well, that was cool.

    More occasional pieces of geekery like this, please.

  8. SImon Hobson Bronze badge

    The rack mountings.

    Just a heads up - there's nothing "novel" about the equipment mountings. Those "coiled wire rope" things are standard naval shock mountings. Example supplier here

    I recall <cough> decades ago as a young apprentice seeing videos on what they do when a submarine (which is what we were building back then) is depth charged. All I'll say is that they take on shapes that you'd not imagine them capable of - and then (more or less) return to normal !

    Of course, you have to make sure there's enough free length in the cables to allow that movement between vessel and equipment. If not, then the equipment survives but is no longer connected to anything which rather defeats the object.

  9. Francis Boyle Silver badge

    Just out of interest

    Where exactly do they store those suitcases full of ink?

  10. IanMoore33

    surprised they lay on the bottom

    the depths are incredible .. miles deep

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