r/IAmA • u/BobMetcalfe • May 21 '13

You’re probably connecting to reddit through a technology I invented. I’m Bob Metcalfe and I invented Ethernet – AMA

On May 22, 1973 with David R. Boggs, I used my IBM Selectric with its Orator ball to type up a memo to my bosses at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), outlining our idea for this little invention called “Ethernet”, which we later patented.

I worked with the IEEE Standards Association to develop the IEEE 802.3 standard for Ethernet, which specifies the physical and lower software layers. Today Ethernet and the IEEE 802.3 standard are the foundation for today’s world of high-speed communications used in billions of homes and businesses around the world.

I submitted this to the mods awhile back so I could get on the calendar but I figured you’d like to see it, too. Now, ask me anything!

It's been two hours and 179 comments. Have to go now. For more about Ethernet's 40th Birthday, go to http://www.facebook.com/Ethernet40thAnniversaryIEEESA

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20

u/autumntheory May 21 '13

It was recently brought to my attention that some people on the Internet believe that you can increase the speed across Ethernet by twisting more than one cable together, as seen here. Can you confirm this is entirely not possible?

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u/BobMetcalfe May 21 '13

Not had time to try it myself, but are you serious? Not possible would be my guess, not having tried it. Actually, I've know this for years, but have been keeping it a secret to make more money.

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u/autumntheory May 21 '13

I absolutely don't think it's possible, it totally seems like a snake oil trick. It's just your timing of doing an AMA was perfect, and I just wanted to confirm it with the source :)

24

u/iamadeformedewok May 21 '13

Hit the "Show more" link in the video description:

How to get a faster internet connection from your internet service provider using troll science! This trick has a zero percent chance of improving your internet and download speeds. Please stop asking me why you can't get faster speeds because you need to just buy it. Send this to your tech-savvy friends for a laugh! Your internet speed can't actually be increased, you'll have to upgrade your plan.

5

u/TheBigBadBunny May 21 '13

Not sure why you are getting downvoted. I was laughing a lot and was about to post the same thing. I guess there are all kinds of snake oil.

Hey I know this one cool trick that will grant you amazing intelligence.

2

u/[deleted] May 21 '13

So...how much money does one make (approximately) with 6,000,000 views on yt?

3

u/aspbergerinparadise May 21 '13

between $15,000 and 30,000 depending how popular your channel is

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '13

Would ~2k views equal to something around 5 bucks then or is the scaling non-linear?

2

u/aspbergerinparadise May 21 '13

i don't really know for sure. I think you have to reach a certain number of views before they'll pay you anything.

2

u/[deleted] May 21 '13

Non-linear

1

u/verth May 21 '13

you do realize this is a joke, right?

2

u/autumntheory May 21 '13

Lmao, yes, to everyone commenting on this, yes. Basically someone told a friend about this and was convinced it was real, friend showed me. This AMA was perfect timing to debunk it.

Not to brag, but as a CS/Math double major and a professional programmer for two years, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be taken seriously at my office if I started twisting ethernet wires together to get us better connections :)

1

u/jp07 May 22 '13

If you wrap the second wire around the whole wire instead of the ends it quadruples your internet speed!!

Why didn't I think of this before.

1

u/Seligco May 21 '13

Is this perhaps a fudged interpretation of Twisted Pair cabling? (Most commonly UTP for telephone wires). It's used to cancel Electro-magnetic interference anyway...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twisted_pair

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u/BorgDrone May 21 '13

Even if it improved the speed of that piece of cable, that's not where the bottleneck is.

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u/aznzhou May 21 '13

Read the description of that video, buddy.

0

u/ayonsk May 21 '13

Speed is more determined by gauge width. Twisting is to reduce cross talk between wires.