Slashdot Mirror
The Internet by Motorbike
MrHatken writes "An interesting combination of wireless, wheels, and store-and-forward email: 'In Cambodia, motorbikes act as routers for a store-and-forward email system: The New York Times reports on a system that allow remote villages in Cambodia to send and receive email via Wi-Fi-equipped motorbikes. The Motoman system converges in the provincial capital where a satellite-enabled school uploads and downloads email for the remote recipients. The system is funded in part through U.S. benefactors who aren't just sending money; they're spending time there as well, and helping to improve the quality of medicine and people's livelihoods.'"
wi-fi has been a standard features on harley-linksys-davidsons for several years now.
There are no karma whores, only moderation johns
WTF? Someone just woke up one day and said, "Know what bob? I'm a gonna go to Cambodia. That's right. Cambodia."
"What are you gonna do in Cambodia?"
"I don't know. But I think I'm gonna ride a motorbike."
"A motorbike?"
nods.
"In Cambodia?"
"Right."
"wow. Why?"
"I think I'll use it to send email. You know, there's a lack of email in Cambodia. And there are lots of motorbikes. If we could just get a motorbike to help us send email, the people of Cambodia would be able to get Nigerian spam just like we do."
"You know, now that you've put it that way, it sounds like a good idea. Motorbike, email, Cambodia, spam. Can I go with?"
"Well of course, Bob. I wouldn't have it any other way."
because I have been enjoined by this Holy Office to abandon the false opinion which maintains that the Sun is the centre
do they have redundancy plan in case those motorbikes are stolen or damaged in accidents?
Lets just hope they don't get spam-flooded like the rest of us (unless they're delivering "food"). It'd be a real downer to wait for the iBike to arrive, just to be told how to enlarge your penis...
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
No, last time it was carrier-pidgeons with memory sticks.
455fe10422ca29c4933f95052b792ab2
just hope this is a temporary solution rather than their long-term plan.
otherwise, they can go as far as providing high speed internet connection at $9.95 per month on a 500cc bike and a low speed plan at $2.95 per month on a 50cc bike. and very soon they'll propose to build better road, maybe highway so that information can be moved around more quickly.
Dude, that was bicycles in Laos. Totally different. Sheesh.
KFG
CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
Gives new meaning to "the information super highway". In this case that would be a highway in a third world country with pot holes. Gotta say, might have been better if they used 4x4s, I mean at least there you have redundancy systems.
Since they're using an off-the-Internet store and forward system, I wonder if that email address would need a !bang path? (Perhaps a bang-bang path if the motorcycle is running rough.) UUCP lives on.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Nah, we use the GOOSE option: since the geese migrate every fall we write up a bunch of e-mails and store them until fall. We them have to go and capture a goose with our bare hands and use seal fat to adhere the e-mails (written by hand of course) to the goose. We then have to walk home which is usually 60-70 miles away and it is UPHILL both ways!
Someday, I want a motorhome, so that I can tool around to National Parks in the US and still be able to have refrigerated salsa and my Playstation 2. And in this dream, I also have wireless networking between my motorhome and other motorhomes in the campground, and there are hotspots at the dumping station and at ranger stations and at nearby truckstops, so that as I'm cruising around the country, I can keep getting email, do a little surfing, and for the webcam mounted on the dash to send updates out to the blog. And if the folks in the next campsite have the same system in their motorhome, then we can have a lan party, until it is time for the Park Ranger to talk about wolf ecology over at the campfire.
Information wants to be $1.98/lb.
This is great.
When I order pizza, it comes by motorcycle. Now the same bike brings the internet too. My dream of ordering pizza on the internet has finally come true! Wait a minute...
I believe that motorcycles are a short-term solution, until Avian 'flu has been eradicated ;)
This is where the serious fun begins.
or even better how come I cant walk around and connect to the internet anywhere in the country? Isn't it time that we should be able to watch dvds, play video games, watch tv, listen to satellite radio, talk on our cellphones and surf the internet all while driving down the free way?
Trix are for kids!