The Cuban Memory Stick Underground

circletimessquare writes "The NyTimes has an aticle describing how students and others in Cuba have taken to passing around media on memory sticks, as this is the only way they can get around state-controlled media. Also driving this phenomenon is the fact that there are so few places to get on the Internet. In Old Havana there is only one Internet cafe; getting online there for an hour costs 1/3 of the average Cuban's monthly wages. Local entrepreneurs get the memory sticks from European friends, since they are scarce to find in Cuba through normal channels, and expensive."

Comments

Want to bring down the Cuban government?

[Gordonjcp]

Then the US should drop their trade sanctions, and station ships off the Cuban coast, or possibly blimps flying over Cuba, with *huge* wireless network systems on. Basically, turn a ship into one giant floating wireless AP, with a satellite connection to the Internet. Then give all the people USB wireless adaptors.

Re:But.. but.. I thought Cuba is a utopian society

[arthurpaliden]

They have first rate low tech preventative and pre/post natal health care. Which gives them a lower infant mortality rate than the US and a life expectancy just a bit lower that the US.

Re:sneakernet

[powerlord]

Why not just package an offline Wikipedia Reader onto some memory sticks, and let them loose. :)

(sorry for the cached link, but the original seems to have disappeared)

Re:Called UUCP

[hairykrishna]

I worked at a site that, for security reasons, had to be air gapped from the 'net. All the email was handled via tape. Worked fine as long as you didn't mind only getting new email twice a day.