http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/05/the-grid-our-cars-and-the-internet-one-idea-to-link-them-all/This article discusses the potential for using meshed networks to create information networks exactly large enough to handle the traffic on them.The way internet is usually accessed is as such (simplified, of course): the connection flows from the ISP through an infrastructure designed to split the connection into smaller pieces headed in different directions. The portion of broadband available to any given person pares down as it reaches his or her router, where it might then be divided again between half a dozen computers. The way this obviously affects the network is by creating a reverse network effect. The same, roughly applies for wi-fi. The more people using a particular wi-fi agent’s supply, the weaker the product (the connection) becomes; the system is designed to accommodate expected maximum capacity, as explained in the article:

“Wi-Fi is like a bridge that connects the highways on either side of the stream. You build it wide enough to handle the maximum traffic you expect. If too much comes, it gets congested. When not enough arrives, you’ve got excess capacity.

However, there is an alternate way to design internet access, called a “meshed network”. Described in the article:

Mesh takes a different approach: Each person who wants to cross throws in a flat rock that’s above the water line. The more people who do that, the more ways there are to get across the river.”

Simply put,  a mesh-network turns a reverse network effect into a calibrated network effect. The more people who are in the network, the easier the access to the broadband becomes, according to the article.The article then applies this technology to cars, who already access several networks (GPS, Bluetooth, Cell phones, etc). By applying mesh-networking, the article argues that each car would have easier access to all the technologies as more cars surrounded them on the highway.Though details do get a bit hazy, its a promising idea that should be getting a substantial investment courtesy of the federal government.