I feel like I’m writing a science fiction story. Some of the digital developments in the last decade have been beyond whatever I expected to see in my lifetime. This one is no exception.

The other day, Google announced its newest experiment, “Project Loon,” an endeavor to connect the entire world to the Internet. Google’s blog explains that it’s sending up countless giant balloons to beam down Internet access to remote regions around the globe.

“Balloons make sense for this purpose — they’re cheap to deploy and can provide wireless coverage in areas that would otherwise be difficult to serve due to geography.”

The pilot program has already started with 50 balloons in New Zealand. Google’s balloons fly 60,000 feet high and provide Internet speeds as fast as 3G networks. No surprise, Google is making all this happen with algorithms and a combination of wind and solar power. The balloons potentially float around the entire globe and communicate with specialized antennas. Internet providers on the ground transfer the signal to users for the last mile.

Google just started talking about this but the project has been in the works just under two years. When I first heard about it, I thought it was a joke. I felt the same way about Google glasses and their cars that drive themselves. This company never ceases to amaze. Oh, one last thing. Google calls this “Project Loon” because it is just that: crazy. However, they are determined to make it work.

Watch the video. It will blow you away. Excuse the pun.