Don’t worry! I’m not going all technical on you, but I am an author closely connected to the nether regions of the Internet and sometimes I get my inspiration from something as mundane as a dark fiber.
What is dark fiber? I hear you ask.
Actually, it’s two things and I’ll give you the – more or less – technical one first: Dark fiber is unused optical fiber that has been laid but is not currently being used in fiber-optic communications, like the Internet. Because fiber-optic cable transmits information in the form of light pulses, a dark cable refers to one through which light pulses are not – yet – being transmitted. There are millions of miles of dark fiber across the world, waiting to be lighted and used to bring us cable TV, telephone or the Internet.
Now my definition of dark fiber:
DARK FIBER is a techno thriller, set in the heart of the Internet where techies control our lives, where we are tapped and peeped at, and where our every move is watched by secret services and by Internet companies, but also by individuals who know their way round in the catacombs of the Internet. One of those techies is Matt Turing, who has his own reasons to zap off the map. Matt has laid the dark fiber for his plan to disappear and all he needs is a numbskull to light it. Jonathan Groen, a former journalist-trainee-turned-bum, seems the perfect dufus and Matt worms his way into Jonathan’s life like a virus, deleting him bit by bit.
But Matt’s machinations wake Jonathan from his lethargy, rekindling his journalistic instincts. Jonathan dives into Matt’s past and presence, determined to find out the truth, and only time will tell if he is fast enough to save his own life.
So, what’s the deal?
I will give you this gruesome story in a feuilleton. From now on you can distract yourself daily with DARK FIBER. Stay tuned for the first episode, which will air tomorrow…
Mina Witteman 