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posted by
Cactus
on Wednesday February 26 2014, @03:00AM
from the don't-panic-and-always-know-where-your-towel-is dept.
from the don't-panic-and-always-know-where-your-towel-is dept.
AnonTechie writes
Media Development Investment Fund, a New York based non-profit, is looking to offer a world-wide data stream free of charge.
Dubbed the 'Outernet', the network will broadcast a one-way data stream to the entire world via a network of mini satellites. The idea is to bridge the digital divide, offering some of the most important (and basic) information on the internet to people regardless of location.
Outernet has posted intention to deliver staples such as: local and international news, OpenStreetMap, Wikipedia, Ubuntu, various educational courseware, and emergency communications systems for use when cell systems fail.
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Outernet - Information from Outer Space
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I'm not a robot like you. I don't like having disks crammed into me... unless they're Oreos, and then only in the mouth.
-- Fry
(Score: 5, Interesting) by space_in_your_face on Wednesday February 26 2014, @04:07AM
Important and basic information seems to be ill defined. How can this be something else than western propaganda? Or at least the promotion of our way of life?
(Score: 4, Funny) by dublet on Wednesday February 26 2014, @05:57AM
I'm guessing it'll be mainly porn? That's pretty important and basic, right?
"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome. [dublet.org]"
(Score: 5, Insightful) by suxen on Wednesday February 26 2014, @06:30AM
I live in a third world country, this is relevant to my interests.
Rather than seeing a one way stream of mostly irrelevant data from outer space, I would see localnets which need have no permanent or broadly available internet connection, which host locally relevant information which communities themselves consider valuable. Information which I consider important would be local information on growing food, local weather alamancs, etc. where available and important cultural texts, such as the bible, baghavad-gita, works of aristotle, things like that. Yes the cultural texts may be considered propoganda.
By my experiences, the content the locals will consider important will be mostly pirated american and japanese games, movies and music. Yes people are the same everywhere and these media are good honeypots to get the communities using the new technology.
International content deemed important can be hosted on local mirrors (I've always thought wikipedia would be a good one, I for one would hate to lose access to it) and what sparse data does come in from the international webs can be kept locally in caching proxies and such. Most importantly, communities are capable of creating and sharing content among themselves.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Jaruzel on Wednesday February 26 2014, @08:30AM
International content deemed important can be hosted on local mirrors (I've always thought wikipedia would be a good one, I for one would hate to lose access to it)
Not sure how useful this is to you, as you don't specify how robust your personal connection to the web is, but Wikipedia offer full downloads of their database for exactly what you suggest:
Wikipedia Database Download Page [wikipedia.org]
-Jar
Wash at 40°C, and hand dry only. My MUD Engine [jaruzel.com]
(Score: 1) by suxen on Friday February 28 2014, @05:38AM
Thanks. We are engaged with local tech businesses to get content servers out into areas where there is no affordable internet. To download that would cost me a fortune, but some sites I work from have uncapped lines, so I will do it from there.
(Score: 2) by starcraftsicko on Wednesday February 26 2014, @08:43PM
Sounds like you want some BBSs to me. Those were the days...