News Roundup

THIS IS AN EXERCISE

Services reporting availability of common Internet sites continue to log increasing reports of accessibility problems for US-based services from international users. Traditional broadcast media has focused on the question of damage to undersea cables as the root cause. Online media, especially smaller outlets, have suggested that the cause is technical, a sophisticated cyberattack instructing networks not to use infrastructure that actually is available. No further government advisories have been issued publicly.

Geopolitical tensions continue to rise. Traditionally West-aligned nations are accusing Wayma of stirring anti-Western passions in traditionally Bokononic nations. Wayma's ruling regime has accused the West of trying to find a scapegoat for the "collapse of its own infrastructure due to greed and decadence."

Social media shows elevating activity, with debate raging about the underlying cause of the difficulties and what actors are behind the problems.

The "Beyond The Horizon" news program on ABCDEFG network ran a story last night on coping with difficulties in modern information technology. Interviews of proprietors of shops that sell and repair typewriters show that after a collapse of the industry in the 1990s, demand has rebounded, even surging in the past few years. The show cited younger buyers, much to the presenters' surprise, as a big part of the drive for the adoption of analog technology. Individual writers cited the aesthetic charm. In the final segment, the show turned its attention to the increasing use in security-sensitive offices and bureaucracies.

Locally, media has focused on how dependent communities are on communications infrastructure. In south-central Ohio, local outlets have begun to express concern about weather radio services, with reports of the weather radio in Chillicothe being off the air. Others have reported that the neighboring systems provide redundant coverage and knowing to listen to other channels can address any concern raised by temporary outages. Message boards on the local TV news sites show posts from viewers who reported that the neighboring system in Otway was off the air just a few days earlier.

This morning's local news anchors refer to difficulty reaching some of their favorite sites. Some have joked about the social upside of borrowing a friend's phone with another service to see what doesn't work on their own phones. One asked "What could go wrong?" before breaking for a commercial.

THIS IS AN EXERCISE