Internet working because Cold War-era pioneers designed it to handle almost anything
The internet, born as a Pentagon project during some of the chillier years of the Cold War, has taken such a central role in 21st Century civilian society, culture and business that few pause any longer to appreciate its wonders - except perhaps, as in the past few weeks, when it becomes even more central to our lives.
Many facets of human life -- work, school, banking, shopping, flirting, live music, government services, chats with friends, calls to aging parents -- have moved online in this era of social distancing, all without breaking the network. It has groaned here and there, as anyone who has struggled through a glitchy video conference knows, but it has not failed.
"Resiliency and redundancy are very much a part of the Internet design," explained Cerf, whose passion for touting the wonders of computer networking prompted Google in 2005 to name him its "Chief Internet Evangelist," a title...
