TWeaK

WWOOOFF!!!

Wait, wrong franchise.

Let's try that again..

If they didn't have the range for that you wouldn't be able to connect with them to send calls, text, or data. Those are all two way communication and requires the satellite to be within range of your device.

Now, there's something to be said for the current level of coverage of direct-to-cell capable satellites. If they don't have many up there then it will be harder to triangulate - however they also move quite quickly through their orbits, so if they make multiple measurements they can get a good idea with just one satellite, and again the accuracy will only go up when more satellites are in range.

One article I read last July said they only had 103 satellites with that capability up, with plans to launch a further 300 this year (out of a total constellation of 6,200). However I've read other sources from last year about much higher numbers. I suspect the 103 refers to a newer version of direct-to-cell capable satellites that will form the commercial implementation.

As for the range of the signal from the satellite, it absolutely can reach your device. GPS is an awful lot higher, and with satellites in general you don't have to worry about people being nearby to the radiation source (like you do with phones or even towers). There isn't a risk of location or identification with a one way signal from a satellite, though, however if your device were to do something in response to the signal that could be an issue (eg [ab]using the emergency alert system or some sort of novel exploit).

Suffice it all to say, we're entering an age where there is the potential for a lot of shit to happen, stuff that hasn't really even been explored in SciFi or spy movies. In the late 90s we had Enemy of the State, which touched on satellites being used for stuff, but as far as I'm aware no fiction has explored using the satellites for two-way communication with our devices. People think of satellites being 600,000km away, not merely ~500km.

I make little typos all the time, and often go back and edit things to change the shape of my comment. The backspace thing is a little thing, but it's persistent and frequently annoying.

Also *fewer :p

Lmao they release aluminum oxides when they burn up, it's basically antipersperant in the upper atmosphere.

Ironically though, it will make us all sweat more.

Your phone talks back to the satellite to establish a connection, and during this exchange your phone will provide its unique IMEI, as well as you SIM card details and phone number.

Starlink direct-to-cell uses LTE, aka 4G. Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capabilities are effectively mobile phone masts in space that travel all over the globe.

It's not really the keyboard though, the keyboard works fine everywhere else. It's a poor implementation from the text editor that Jerboa uses, one that other keyboards have created a workaround for. But the issue is in the text editor.

It's like when a website only works in Chrome, but doesn't work in Firefox. It isn't because Firefox is broken, it's because the website doesn't follow web standards and has only been tested in Chrome.

Starlink is a mobile internet platform by SpaceX. They currently have somewhere around 6,300 satellites up in low earth orbit, in complex shells covering most of the globe. These satellites aren't permanent, they're so low that they do experience some mild atmospheric drag, which causes them to eventually fall into the atmosphere and burn up. However SpaceX frequently launches more.

Over the last year or so SpaceX have been developing direct-to-cell capability, using 4G/LTE. This means you will be able to send and receive calls, texts and data over Starlink, direct from your mobile phone. This is only possible because of the low altitude of Starlink - conventional satellites are much higher up, and while they can send signals to your phone (eg GPS) they're too far away for your phone to reach back.

However, the flip side of this is that Starlink is effectively operating mobile phone masts up in space, globally. A network carrier on land already has the ability to triangulate your position using cell towers - they ping your phone from multiple towers, with this they can determine distance, and with 3 or more they can triangulate with increasing precision. This is kind of acceptable, because it's only the country you're in (or near to) that will be able to identify and locate you. However with SpaceX you have an American business that's effectively able to identify (through unique identifiers such as IMEI) and locate you via your phone almost anywhere in the world using their satellite constellation.

Fair correction, Palantir is only used by villains, it isn't evil in and of itself. However I'm pretty sure Thiel also had something called The Eye of Sauron - maybe a product made by Palantir.

If your phone can talk with a cell tower, the tower can work out how far away you are. With 3 or more towers they can determine your location by triangulation. When your phone talks with a cell tower, it identifies itself, including by providing your device's unique IMEI.

Starlink is effectively a bunch of moving towers in space. If 3 or more Starlink satellites can talk to your phone, then they can also determine your position. It's basically the same principle as GPS, except at a much lower altitude and over 4G/LTE bands, and the satellite receives signal back from your phone whereas with GPS it's one way from the satellite to your device.

Good stuff hah. Thunder is in my trial group now anyway :)

Oh! Here's the ultimate test: [^1]

Can it handle Markdown citations???

[^1]: I wonder.

Even the website doesn't handle those quite right.

The links should scroll between the citation in the text and the definition at the bottom, while I actually wrote the citation immediately afterwards. The website scrolling doesn't quite work, but it does at least place the definitions all together at the bottom.[^2]

[^2]:I'm kind of just extending this comment now to make it more likely to scroll correctly on a phone.

View the source for fun.

Oh, maybe the website does handle it ok, it just doesn't quite work on the first click. Subsequent clicks seem to scroll correctly.