Worlds largest undersea LAN will lay 3000km of telecom cable off the coast of British Columbia & Washington. (I can't even figure how to route ethernet from my bedroom to the living room!) The international VENUS project will provide scientists with "plugs" on the sea floor to power their instruments & robots, and control them in real time. Oh yeah, and all the data collected will be available FREELY AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET except when the navy imposes data blackouts for passing subs.

The implications are really cool. Imagine having early warning earthquake sensors at the edge of a techtonic plate. Or hydrophones listening for passing orca pods. Or cameras permanently trained on hydrothermal vent ecosystems. Or cool robot thingies classrooms can drive around by remote. I wanna play!