Umwelt – a word that German biologist Jakob von Uexküll uses to describe the perceptual world of biological organisms. It is the theme of Ed Yong’s book, An Immense World. His book explores the different ways living beings, whether plants, insects, or animals, sense, think, and act. It is no wonder that Professor Kornhauser recommended this as a must-read, as it has eye-opening parallels with the automation of machines, whether those are physical machines, or the software-defined processes of the modern telecom network.
Thanks to the Broadband Forum, my employer, for supporting this newsletter. The content, views, and opinions expressed herein are not those of the Broadband Forum.
Turning Speed Tests into Service Insight
Speaking of automation, one topic not closely examined in last Thursday’s webinar, Turning Speed Tests into Service Insight, is how TR-471-defined testing can serve as a “sensor” in an automated network operations flow. In short, TR-471 and its implementation in the open-source OB-UDPST project can turn a negative regulatory mandate into a network signal for proactive maintenance and more. Following up on the excellent overview of TR-471/OB-UDPST that he gave on the webinar, on Tuesday, May 19th, at 8:00 AM in the Lafayette 1 room at Fiber Connect in Orlando, Len Ciavattone will present on the automation possibilities that TR-471 enables.
Understanding Network Performance with OB-UDPST: A Live Demo
Complementing the above webinar is a live demonstration of a TR-471/OB-UDPST implementation put together by Peter Burr, Senior Architect at NBN Co. As Australia’s wholesale provider of last-mile network services, NBN has unique challenges in measuring network performance. This excellent demonstration provides an excellent overview of how TR-471/OB-UDPST can be used to measure and pinpoint the cause of an internet connectivity issue.
A Frazzled Technician’s Dream – Automated Testing and Reporting
Troubleshooting telecommunications networks is difficult without a baseline set of parameters from a working condition. In the old days of paper and pen, documenting a system was sometimes as big a challenge as turning up a system. In this interview filmed at last month’s OFC 2026, Guillaume Lavallée explains how automation helps technicians document their work. Documentation that helps with predictive, faster problem resolution becomes increasingly critical as networks support increasingly diverse, higher-speed traffic.
BASe at OFC2026 – Broadband for AI and AI for Broadband
Guillaume was part of an OFC 2026 panel, moderated by Bernd Hesse, that further explored the latest in high-speed PON technologies and where they are going (including inside data centers). The panel explored the dual concept of AI for broadband and broadband for AI.
Aerleum Fuel from Thin Air
In a time of crunched fuel supplies, Aerleum offers hope for the future. This French-based start-up’s interesting pitch at CES2026 was to combine CO2 from the air with hydrogen to create methanol. Methanol is a clean-burning fuel for ships, provides a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuels, and can be used in other chemical processes (e.g., plastics). Low-cost energy and water will be key to making this a success. Watch the interview with Aerleum’s co-founder to learn how they are addressing those challenges.
A New Narrative on Space R&D – The Microgravity Lab
Space may or may not be the so-called final frontier, but it is definitely heating up with human activity. Beyond the headlines, Narravity, a start-up from Japan, is building an autonomous microgravity lab to help companies develop products for humanity as it extends its Umwelt beyond Earth. space.
Some Chirps and Short Thoughts
- “Labels destroy perception. You have to fight against it. This is a simple read on “thinking,…” @drgurner. This article ties to the growth-mindset concept .
- Fiber to the Wine Cellar – beautiful pictures of the latest PON plugfest, courtesy of LANPARK.
- Congratulations to Marty Carollo on his retirement – Here is a ViodiTV video with Marty talking about his journey from marine biologist back to the cable world.
- A nice overview with pictures of last month’s Broadband Forum Spring Meeting and BASe event by host NBN. It would not have had the record-breaking success without the hard work and dedication of NBN and its staff.
- Next stop, Milan! Join the Broadband Forum for its Summer Meeting and BASe Summit.
The Korner – Infinite Umwelts #
A takeaway from An Immense World is how much we don’t know about the almost infinite worlds that surround us. The limit of our senses, as expressed by Graeme Edge in his opening and closing poems Departure and The Word on the album In Search of a Lost Chord captures the wonder of the things unseen as described in Yong’s book.
“The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound, or the strength of an oak, with roots deep in the ground,”
“To know ultraviolet, infrared, and X-rays, beauty to find in so many ways.”
Simply, as Yong describes in his book, even with the best instrumentation, we cannot experience the world in the same way as another living being. Wonder is the word that fits, as we can only imagine or wonder what it is to live in another’s Umwelt.
Empathy is another takeaway from this book that could be considered a science and biology-heavy read or, in this author’s case, listen. It makes one think of the old saw about walking a mile in another’s shoes. The message of this book is as applicable to humanity as the rest of the natural world.
That is, we really only see glimpses of each other’s Umwelts. Those glimpses, connections if you will, are the ties that bind us and enrich our worlds.
Len Ciavattone reminded me of this in last week’s aforementioned network performance webinar, when he referenced the foundational work of the late Al Morton in moving TR-471 forward. Morton’s work, which Len continues to spearhead as head of the Open Broadband UDPST software project, was just a part of his Umwelt as seen in the ITU memorium that also features tributes from some of the people he touched.
As much as that software is about measuring the networks we use, its creation has connected the people involved in its development and made their lives that much richer.
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