Recent comments in /f/Tech

Rambler wrote (edited )

I'd recommend everyone who wishes to participate in decentralized communication to obtain their amateur radio license, General class or Amateur Extra. (Though the entry-level technician class is a good point of entry)

With no internet or cellular connection you can literally communicate around the world. You can send packets of information that are decoded to reveal text that you read, and respond to via software.

There are some limited functionality radio based mesh nets in existence too, including email over radio.

I've sent/received basic data packets (FT8) to all 50 states, 70+ countries and all continents. These packets were sent back/forth that just contained my call sign, the recipients call sign, grid square, and things like a signal report but other digital/packet modes allow you to have full blown chat-like conversations. My favorite operating mode that no one ever wanted to use was Hellschreiber / HELL MODE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellschreiber

But, FCC rules state you can't send encrypted radio traffic over the amateur airwaves. And, the FCC is known to swing the hammer of justice on people who violate the rules on the amateur airwaves as well... But I'm not for sure how they'd respond to a LOT of people doing something like this all at once for something like a large scale project. But data at most amateur frequencies is incredibly slow, even for text.

But back on the topic of traditional mesh nets: I believe NYC has a large city wide mesh net and some smaller ones localized in other areas of the country as well.

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Wingless wrote

"Intellectual property" is an outgrowth of the old slave system, one which declares certain activities people do to be property rather than certain people. It needs to be abolished entirely. It would be almost infinitely more efficient to do so in technical terms, allowing all technology to everyone and just pay producers according to a tax system that lets the users select where they want their money to go. However, such a system would not benefit the few who own the world, so we must destroy it first.

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Wingless wrote

What this article describes but fails to comment on is that "CAPTCHA" is a word that started off meaning "a test for humans versus bots" and ended up meaning "Google AND ONLY GOOGLE Rummaging Through Everything You Do On The Web To See If They Like It".

Nowadays, CAPTCHA can only serve as a means for the user to screen out fake forums like 4chan that look like they're independent companies when they're really just Google spy franchises. After you rule out everything bogus ... maybe you come here.

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