Google is Floating a New Idea

Consider the humble magic of a balloon. They represent clear evidence of the impossible. By all rights, gravity is an indomitable tyrant, but balloons casually ignore it. This simple defiance captures young imaginations at a glance. But despite what toddlers may say, apparently losing a balloon to the whims of the upper stratosphere is not always such a bad thing.

In the age of novel concepts, one company is exploring a new method of providing wireless internet service to some of the most remote areas on planet earth. Project Loon is a peculiar innovation from the minds at Google Labs. It is exactly what it looks like, a shiny blimp that floats in the sky and beams internet service to users on the ground below. As Google Fiber snakes its way across the land and sea, the first prototype Google balloons (Galloons? Balloogles?) are taking to the skies in New Zealand.

Consider what these benevolent blimps could do for remote areas that have previously not had access to reliable connectivity. Combined with initiatives like Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop per Child Program, Google Loon could be an important piece in creating a truly connected world. Rural farmers could check prices for their goods on the international market. Teachers in the most remote villages could have real-time hangouts with astronauts. Aid workers could direct needed resources to areas hit by natural disasters. The possibilities are endless.

As promising as this technology is, I can only envision some of the issues it will face. What if one of these Balloogles floated over the reclusive nation of North Korea? Last year, the Korean People’s Army almost flipped their collective lid over civilian launched balloons carrying flyers. I can’t imagine they would have a positive reaction to a vessel that was beaming down unfiltered Wikipedia. I doubt the DPRK has the military technology necessary to shoot such an apparatus out of the sky, but that wouldn't stop them from trying.

I'm aware there is a difference between a zeppelin and a blimp

Taking this hypothetical a step further, what if that controversial balloon floated over the Bohai Sea and hovered above, say, Beijing? After all, what laws govern an unmanned, unpropelled aircraft launched from international waters? This strikes me as another example of how slow legal systems are in comparison to the progression of technology; they literally can’t keep up with a balloon.

While Google Loon may be susceptible to wind, ground fire, regional laws, and angry birds it’s still an incredible idea. When I was a kid, my mother mollified my post-balloon-loss-depression (PBLD) by having me play a game. We would watch the colorful helium bubble for as long as we could, then come up with stories about what adventures it would go on after it floated away. I think those who balk at innovations like free floating internet blimps may have to resign themselves to similar acts of creative acceptance. In any case, I look forward to letting a few off the string and watching what happens.