Tubes: Behind the Scenes at the Internet

The Internet. Home to the most important and intimate aspects of our lives. Our careers, our relationships, our selves, all of them are out there - online. So . . . where is that exactly? And who's in charge again? And what if it breaks? In Tubes Andrew Blum takes us on a gripping backstage tour of the real but hidden world of the Internet, introducing us to the remarkable clan of insiders and eccentrics who own, design and run it everyday. He uncovers the secret data warehouses where our online selves are stored, peels back the wires that transport us across the globe, reveals its mammoth hubs and surprising alley-ways, explaining what the Internet actually is, where it is, how it got there - and, yes, what happens when it breaks. 'Entertaining and illuminating. Excels at rooting the Internet in real-world locations. Full of memorable images.' Observer 'An excellent introduction to the nuts and bolts of how exactly it all works and a timely antidote to oft-repeated abstractions about 'cyberspace' or 'cloud computing'.' Economist 'Makes hard-to-grasp concepts easy to understand, even obvious. The history is one of the best and most memorable I have ever read.' New Scientist 'Even the most geek-wary of readers will enjoy.' Independent