[GNUz] Re: The Future of Community Wireless

[Rik Tindall]

Don Gould wrote:

> Neil Stockbridge wrote:
>
>> what i'm really looking forward to is frivolous data, like using a VNC
>>
>> session to a machine on the other side of Christchurch instead of an SSH
>> session and like leaving a web cam feed open 24 hours a day.  even if
>> the bandwidth available is modest, it's not charged by the byte.
>
> Frankly Neil I think if we build it then we'll find applications and 
> justifications for it...  I really don't see a lack of content being 
> an issue.


What I'm finding is that _anything_ we can do with wireless as a group 
(that's legal) is fun & informative. That is, we are a social cluster 
first and a technology cluster second.

Wireless service development itself has become productive content for 
our group, and, likewise, as yet unimagined and innovative content for 
that will emerge as our technology skill and hardware base deepens.

In a few days I'll describe to CLUG the format that the next three 
Freenix workshops will take - wireless conferencing. This fun 
opportunity should attract enough FOSS experts/speakers to fill the 
eight 30-minute presentation slots available for a public audience on 
SFD (see http://www.hackstop.org/index.php/Current_events for the 
relevant dates). We'll work as a group to cohere five hours of 
comprehensive introductory content for the Linux curious, then 
transplant our network to the St Albans venue on September 16th.

The fact that one month ago _nobody_ knew any of this was going to 
happen this way demonstrates the power of (wireless) networking to 
amplify individual capabilites and deliver truly interesting content.

We are still experimenting to find the best techniques, but (telecomms) 
education itself is the dynamic content.

Keep talking.

cheers,

-- 
Rik Tindall, InfoHelp Services <http://www.infohelp.co.nz> on virus-free
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