We Need To Talk About Ones And Zeroes

Since the concept of “noise” in a data stream is an unknown value to me, and I took  machine and assembly language classes eons ago, I asked ChatGTP: what is noise in a data stream of 1’s and 0’s?

Noise in a data stream of 1’s and 0’s refers to unwanted alterations or interference that causes the bits (1s and 0s) to be received incorrectly compared to how they were transmitted. More precisely:

 

• In digital communication, noise can flip a 1 to a 0 or a 0 to a 1, leading to bit errors.
• The source of noise can be electrical interference, thermal fluctuations, crosstalk, radio frequency interference (RFI), or signal degradation over distance.
• Unlike analog noise (which adds distortion), digital noise usually results in discrete errors—incorrect bits—not gradual degradation.

Example:

If a clean digital stream is:

10110010

And due to noise it is received as:

10111010

The 5th bit has been flipped from 0 to 1—this is a direct result of noise.

Summary:

Noise in a digital data stream is any interference that causes incorrect or unintended changes to the transmitted binary data, resulting in bit errors.

 

Would you like to know how systems correct for or detect such errors (e.g., using error-correcting codes)?

@jsalerno277 

Please forgive in advance my philosophical pontification

It is more than forgiven, it is appreciated!

While your response is factually incorrect as noted by others, it is thoughtful and articulate and a pleasure to read 🙏

 

 

That response lead to the next question. (ChatGTP does lie) If that is true then how are electronic banking transactions conducted error free?

Excellent question—electronic banking transactions aren’t inherently error-free, but they appear error-free to users because of sophisticated error detection, correction, and redundancy mechanisms built into the system. Here’s how they ensure high reliability despite the presence of noise:

 

✅ 1.

Error Detection and Correction

 

 

• Checksums and Cyclic Redundancy Checks (CRC): Each data packet includes extra bits derived from the content. The receiving system recalculates the checksum and compares it. If it doesn’t match, the data is known to be corrupted.
• Forward Error Correction (FEC): Techniques like Hamming codes or Reed-Solomon codes not only detect but automatically correct certain errors on the fly.

 

 

 

✅ 2.

Redundant Transmission

 

 

• Important messages may be retransmitted if an error is detected.
• Protocols like TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) ensure that data arrives completely and correctly by:
  • Acknowledging each packet.
  • Resending lost or corrupted packets.
  • Reordering out-of-sequence packets.
•  

 

 

✅ 3.

Secure Protocols

 

 

• Financial data is sent over encrypted and authenticated channels (e.g., using TLS/SSL) that have built-in integrity checks. Any tampering or bit error will be detected as part of the decryption and hash verification process.

 

 

✅ 4.

Database-Level Safeguards

 

 

• Once a transaction reaches the bank, it’s verified again before being committed.
• Transactions are logged and backed up with atomic operations: they either fully succeed or not at all—never partially.
• Redundancy in server systems ensures high availability and fault tolerance.

 

 

 

✅ 5.

Physical Infrastructure

 

 

• Banking data travels over high-quality, shielded infrastructure (fiber optics, secure server farms), minimizing noise and errors from the start.
• Enterprise-grade routers, switches, and network interfaces have built-in error-checking hardware.

 

 

 

 

 

In Summary:

Electronic banking appears error-free because of layered safeguards:

 

• Detect and fix errors early.
• Ensure correct delivery through protocols.
• Validate and log every transaction at the application and database levels.

@cleeds -  I haven't done much with switches labeled as "audiophile" grade.  So, as I indicated, I don't know what they have all done inside other than changing out the power supply.  Some may be completely reengineered and use top notch jacks, power supplies, etc.  I honestly don't know.  Did I overstate my home network with Enterprise level Cisco equipment, yeah, maybe.  It was late and I was tired when I wrote it.

My home network is running on Cisco C3850 layer 3 switches (over $5K new) setup with VLANs and QoS (quality of service) to segment off my streamers from the rest of the network (i.e. desktop and laptop computers, WiFi access point, Amazon Echo devices, printer, etc.)  My router is also a Cisco Enterprise level appliance.  I picked up the equipment at an auction of a local failed business.  Unfortunately, the cable modem is a typical Motorola that is supported by my local ISP.

The only "audiophile" switch I have actually compared against my setup was an English Electric 8 that a friend purchased from Upscale Audio.  With a "stock" wallwart power supply, and pushing the data volume way up on multiple ports, it was not matching my Cisco setup.  According to management/diagnostic software, it was dropping packets at a much higher rate than I would have expected.  Sound wise, it was ok. Once I changed out to the "better" power supply that came with it, things improved dramatically, both in network performance and sound quality.  But still it did not perform better than the Cisco setup.  If I were to make a guess as to why, I would say the larger and faster backplane of the Cisco and segmenting the ports into VLANs was creating a more stable data stream to my main streamer(s), even when loading it down and taxing it's capacity.  And thus a much lower level of jitter and smoother processing.

I referenced that I have seen pictures of the internals of other audiophile switches.  I remember one that turned out to just be a Netgear GS series 8 port switch in a different colored case with a linear power supply.  Another was a DLink that was supposed to have been "modified" but only had some stuff glued to the top of some caps and chips and was marked up 500%.  And then another that was just a  Linksys that was repainted and sold with a SBooster power supply for high dollars.  

sophisticated error detection, correction, and redundancy mechanisms built into the system. Here’s how they ensure high reliability despite the presence of noise

This, and files can further be checksummed or hashed to confirm that the received copy is identical in all aspects to the sent copy.

Meanwhile, those AI are getting pretty good :)