Super-nerdy #networking #books #recommendation:

The Undersea Network by Nicole Starosielski

There are other good books about network infrastructure, but the thing I found fascinating about this one is the level of #culture and #history analysis it does. It goes into detail about the impacts transpacific cables have had on the various Pacific islands they land on. Things like politics and military involvement, and local populations' inability to have a say in where the cables land (or whether they do at all). Lack of benefit to local populations (both network and economic) since frequently the cables aren't even terminated at all on these islands, they are just pass-throughs. "Cable colonies" that got established for Europeans servicing the cables to live separately from the indigenous folks. This book is full of interesting, important stuff - I highly recommend it.

Book: https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-undersea-network

Photos and maps: http://www.surfacing.in/

I almost dragged my family to see a manhole cover on Oahu thanks to this book, until I discovered what traffic on Oahu is really like.
http://www.surfacing.in/?place=makaha