BBC Focus

INNOVATIONS

Facebookis theworld’sbiggest social
media network.Andwhilethisbrings
advantages, it also brings challenges.
When aroundasixthoftheworld’s
population is relying on you for its news,
entertainment andcommunication with
friends,familyand
colleagues, you need
aversatileand
resilienthardware
networktokeep
things running
smoothly.
That’s why
Facebookhas just
openedArea 404, alargefacility at the
company headquarters in Menlo Park,
California. Namedafter theerrorcodefor
awebsitefailingtoload,this state-of-the-
artlaboratory is where Facebook’s
engineers will design,buildandtest new
technology intendedtokeep those Likes
and Shares flowing freely.
As wellas electricalengineeringlabs,
Area 404 ishome to a number of
prototyping workshops. Equippedwith
allmanner ofmachinery suchaslathes,
milling machines andahigh-pressure
waterjet that can slice throughsheet
metal, as well as equipment such as
electron microscopes and CT scanners,
these workshops are where new Facebook-

related tech will be developed. Next time

you hear Mark Zuckerberg enthusing

aboutbringinginternet access to isolated

areas via solar-powered drones, or talking

upthenewFacebookSurround360 video

capture system for VR applications, be

assuredhe’s notjust

spouting hot air–

these are thekindof

projects that are

being worked on

insideArea404right

now. For example,

those lathes we

mentioned earlier

canbeusedfor makinggimbals, which

are usedin communicationslasers,while

the electron microscopes can check

hardwareforfaults.

“Connectivity Lab,Oculus, Building 8,

andour Infrastructure teams can now

work collaboratively in the same space,

learningfrom one another as theybuild,”

says a statement on thecompanywebsite.

Thebuilding ofArea 404 isn’t a radical

move on Facebook’s part. But as Facebook

continues to acquire start-ups in all kinds

oftechnologicalfields, theconstruction

ofthefacility isfurther proofofthe

company’s wide-reaching ambitions.

Let’s justhope that, withanamelike

that, it doesn’t suddenly disappear!

WELCOMETOAREA404

NEWS BYTES

iPLAYER LOOPHOLE CLOSED

As of 1 September, you can’t dodgetheBBC

licence fee by only watching iPlayer – the

termsofthelicencehavebeenamendedto

coverallformsofBBCbroadcast,regardless

ofthemediuminvolved.

BITCOIN HEIST

At the start of August, hackers managed to

infiltrate HongKong-based Bitcoin

exchange Bitfinex and made offffwith over

$60m worth of the cryptocurrency.

GOGORO REACHES BERLIN

Gogoro, thebattery-swapping electric

scooter networkwe told you about in

August 2015,haslaunchedin Berlin, with

200 scooters availablefor hire in the city.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

AUScoupleissuingIPmappingcompany

MaxMindafteritusedtheiraddress as the

default locationfor over 600 million IP

addresses –leadingto numerous visits

from the police investigating identity theft

andothercrimes.

NO MORE MOORE?

Anewstudyhassuggested that Moore’s

Law – whichsays that computer

processingspeeddoubles every two years

• willnolonger applyby2021.Then again,
  itsdemisehasbeenpredicted several
  times before...

THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART

LABORATORY IS WHERE

FACEBOOK ENGINEERS

DESIGN NEW TECH

Facebooklaunches newhardwaredevelopmentlab