Wildblue Satellite Internet – The Broadband Satellite Leader

The demonstration showcased download speeds of 18 Mbps, nearly 12-times faster than satellite internet providers current capabilities. Members of Congress got to compare than enhanced Wild Blue speeds with their current service. Why was Congress involved, you might ask. Because WildBlue provides high-speed Satellite Internet access to nearly 400,000 Americans in rural parts of the United States, that currently have no other options, other than dialup service available to them. Congress believes that access to high-speed Internet provides Americans with; increased access to information and technology, which will lead to more Internet commerce, education, news, and social interaction. What is a good thing for its citizens, will most assuredly to be for the government. The United States Departments of Commerce and Agriculture will provide $7.2 billion in federal stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in a inititaive to provide universal broadband access to all customers, regardless of how rural. So, why Satellite Internet and not cable or DSL. The customers that are in need of the increase in technology are rural citizens, whose local Cable or DSL providers, can’t or won’t provide the means to bring those customers current. Satellite Internet needs no infastrucure to provide service to customers. A Satellite dish, a Satellite Internet modem, and a clear view of the southern sky is all that is required. WildBlue has been an active advocate in Washington, D.C. for the advancement of their Broadband technology. In August WildBlue applied for and received $30 million in Broadband Stimulus, which helped subsidize Satellite Boradband connections for about 10,000 homes in Colorado and Wyoming and another 10,000 in Arizona. The areas mentioned all were out of reach of the high-speed cable, fiber and DSL lines. Wild Blue will continuing effort to provide Satellite Internet access to customers is centered around the launch of the WildBlue 3 satellite, at a cost of $300 million and a development and activiation timeline of nearly three years. The Satellite Internet industry and the efforts of WildBlue to provide high-speed Internet access to everyone without, came into focus in October when ViaSat acquired Wild Blue for $568-million. The merger should strengthen Broadband Stimulus efforts.In acquiring WildBlue, ViaSat gains one of the most successful and fastest growing wholesale and retail broadband service providers in the United States. In less than five years, WildBlue has become one of the top twenty broadband U.S. ISPs. WildBlue pioneered the use of “unprocessed” Ka-band spot beam technology to increase capacity and lower bandwidth costs, portending the value potential for the technology innovations ViaSat-1 will make possible. ViaSat, a satellite communications equipment maker for defense and consumer markets will boost WildBlue’s service and technolody levels and bolster the chances of getting government money earmarked for Broadband solutions. ViaSat and WildBlue applied for $500-million in stimulus funds. Both companies have recently partnered with satellite provider EchoStar Communications on seperate bids for grants and loans under the Federal Broadband-Stimulus program. ViaSat is scheduled to launch a satellite, ViaSat-1, in the first quarter of 2011 that will enable WildBlue to offer speeds of 2 Megabits per second to 8 Megabits per second? closer to those offered by cable operators. Currently, WildBlue’s speeds top out at a DSL-like 1.5 Mbps. ViaSat plans to hold prices essentially the same for consumers, which range from $39.95 to $79.95 a month for speeds of 512 kilobits per second to 1.5 Mbps. The higher speeds will enable easier downloads of videos and other multimedia for WildBlue’s clients.

Satellite Internet – An Investment in Education

You wouldn’t paint a house with a toothbrush, or cut a tree down with a steak knife, so why would you ever attempt to educate yourself online with a dialup Internet service. In all three instances, way too slow and, more importantly, not the right tool for the job.

Anyone who has, or is attempting to earn a degree or certification will tell you, education is an investment toward a brighter future. The costs of housing, books, tuition, student loans and supplies have driven more and more students to the Internet. School is hard enough without the constant fight to get connected, stay connected, only to endure the painfully long waits to access information on the Internet though a dialup connection. Satellite Internet can provide students with an always on, reliable and more importantly fast Internet service. With Satellite Internet you can access the information you need and even download up to 30-times faster than dialup connections, for a cost that rivals most DSL services. Better yet, Satellite Internet doesn’t use a phone line, so you won’t be cut off from the world while you learn.

Having a fast Internet connection can open you up to a world of educational possibilities. Everything from Certifications to full-blown Doctorate Degrees are out there. The costs of learning online in some cases can be less than one-tenth the cost of a traditional education.More and more traditional schools are offering distance learning now. Schools such as; Boston University, Bowling Green, George Washington, Gonzaga, Indiana State, NYU, and Cincinnati to name a few. There are also the online giants of the industry, DeVry, Kaplan and the University of Phoenix. Students are able to take their entire course load online and work at their own pace or take traditional classes and supplement the course work online, the options are limitless.

The need for a high speed Internet connection is not just limited to college courses, the computer age has come to grammar schools, middle schools and high schools. Though the Internet is not a substitute for a library, it does allow students to access information quickly and efficiently in the comfort and security of their own home. Students are able to accomplish homework assignments, term papers and projects. Some schools even upload homework assignments online and students are required to download them from home and upload them back to the schools site. If your child is on a dialup connection expect homework to take the better part of the evening.

Many educators feel that children who access information over the internet are more likely to get ahead in class in the areas of history, science, mathematics, reading and writing. Students and parents should explore the plethora of help sites out their for grade schoolers. Sites including online math homework help, homework help for middle school science, researching with the web, homework and study groups for children, building good homework habits, homework helper for grade 2 math and so many more.

The need for a fast, always on Satellite Internet connection is never more evident than when you are attempting to learn while you earn. Many full-time career people, moms and dads and even students who must support themselves, need the reliability and speed satellite provides. The precious little time a working individual spends to improve themselves through certifications, job developmental requirements or even a degree, shouldn’t be wasted trying to connect to information.

Learning online or e learning allows you to choose when, where and how often you participate in classes. Courses are usually conducted through a schedule, but with no live classes to attend, lectures and assignments take place when you want them to. Even if you have not been a student for years – or – weren’t a very good student back in the day, the control and pace has proven in studies to make individuals better performers the second time around.

Don’t let the “trailing edge” technology of dialup Internet services stop you from being all you could and should be. The sky is the limit and WildBlue Satellite Internet can get you there.

Odd Cloud Patterns In Satellite Image

Many years ago when I first connected to the internet I was playing around downloading weather satellite images. This feature in one of them caught my attention. I was so intrigued with it that I kept a copy of it.
It is the pattern of clouds to the north west of the Canary Islands, containing a very pronounced spiral. I am no meteorologist, but it doesn’t look like any weather pattern I have seen, it is too small and self contained to be a hurricane and I think too big for a tornado.
The image is dated October 1998.
Can anyone offer an explanation for this?http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee34/…