COMMUNICATION
In this section we’re looking at communication; how we talk to each other. We’ve divided this section into four parts: networking, the Internet, devices and security.

Networking has been around for as long as humans have walked the planet. We’ve grunted around campfires, been seen at the right places, congregated in coffee houses, partied and pressed the flesh. Networking was simply communicating with and meeting like-minded people. It’s only in the past few centuries that the word has taken on a new meaning; that of sending messages over long distances – communication networks.

These days communication networks surround us. Telephone networks, television, radio, intranet, Internet, broadband and cable. With the advent of digital networks, all of the communication technologies are merging; with mobile phones able to browse Web pages, interactive TV able to hop between non-linear broadcasting and the Web; and digital radio on your desktop. Digital communication is no longer our future - it’s already here. So find out how we now communicate, from the ins and outs of networks to the low-down on the Internet. Find out more about portable devices, such as mobile phones and PDAs and how telephony and online are merging. Finally, check out our security section. Encryption specialist Simon Singh has written an article for us, A Brief History of the Science of Secrecy. Don't forget to have a go at the Encryption Game.