Yeah, but my broadband provider won't even provide a connection unless they can guarantee 256k downstream from the exchange a quarter mile away. I cringe at the thought of what they would charge to bring the line across 20 light-minutes. Never mind the Counterstrike latency!

Can we hold BT to their trigger levels to get the Venus Exchange broadband-enabled? Would involve NASA/ESA sending 150 satelites out there and registering interest to get the trigger levels set. Probably cheaper if one of them just drags a really long ethernet cable behind them, letting Houston wind out the appropriate length. Or maybe a wireless router on board?

They can get data back when it's on the other side of the sun???

I would have thought ... but ... nope, I don't get how that works.

...back when I were a lad, we had a battered tin can and half a frayed bit of string and made do with a few bits an hour... Pah, young'uns these days don't know they're born!

in the proudest telnet tradition, when the satellite is at the furthest end of the link and only gets the 22Kbps, it should use the bandwidth to send the following:

.......llllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggggggg.....................

If you remember someone tried dangling a very long cable off a satellite to see if it would generate electricity as it passed thru the Earth's magnetic field. It was alleged a cable imperfection caused it to break as it was being wound out. I think it more likely that as soon as it got long enough the amount of electricity induced caused it to blow like a fuse. So you are welcome to try, but please not at my expense.

I've been mesaging this hot Venutian chick since March.

Your story will explain to lag time.