[HN Gopher] Learning from Cows: Community Owned WiFi-Mesh
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       Learning from Cows: Community Owned WiFi-Mesh
        
       Author : ZacnyLos
       Score  : 42 points
       Date   : 2022-09-25 15:25 UTC (7 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (branch.climateaction.tech)
 (TXT) w3m dump (branch.climateaction.tech)
        
       | user249 wrote:
       | > This is a deliberation on our experiences setting up a space
       | that facilitates open and decentralized micro-movements.
       | 
       | > To take note of complexity is to let go of efficiency. When we
       | take into account the intersectionality of approaches, when we
       | look into each nuance more deeply, it's only then we realise how
       | intricate the threads of reality are
       | 
       | This article must be for acedemics. I can't understand it,
       | probably because I am not in an acedemic in that field
        
         | LegitShady wrote:
         | "we set up some radios at various villages, and now we're going
         | to write an article in coded language and buzzwords because
         | what we actually have to say is about a sentence long and
         | doesn't sound deep and meaningful when you say:
         | 
         | doing things with other people slowly lets things get
         | complicated and we don't think this is a bad thing, as it
         | allows some failure occasionally."
         | 
         | I am clearly not the target audience of this article, though,
         | as I find the coded language to get in the way of
         | communication, rather than facilitate it. There might be people
         | who feel a certain way reading those words to whom this might
         | be aimed.
        
         | lantry wrote:
         | It might also be written by someone who isn't a native English
         | speaker. Most of these sentences are valid, but as you note,
         | the wording is pretty strange, almost like they were written by
         | someone who is choosing words from a dictionary without any
         | knowledge of what sounds "natural".
        
           | wmf wrote:
           | Nah, this is full of identity studies jargon.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | ok_dad wrote:
         | > Here's some thoughts on opening an office for small political
         | or social groups to organize.
         | 
         | > To do a thing correctly is to do a thing slowly. When you
         | look deeper into most things you realize everything is complex
         | in its own ways.
         | 
         | I think this is a translation.
        
       | rkagerer wrote:
       | Had thought I might see photos of bovine with wifi masts strapped
       | on.
        
       | superkuh wrote:
       | Wireless coverage above >30 MHz or so (too high to propagate by
       | ionospheric reflection) depends on line of sight to operate. The
       | cell network works because people invest a lot of money to
       | provide electrical power to very high points above the
       | surrounding terrain.
       | 
       | The only places that community meshes (wireless meshes without
       | $$$) can work are mountains with cities below them or mega-cities
       | where residents have access to the roof tops of their buildings.
       | 
       | There is no amount of power, no special modulation, nothing, that
       | can punch through a slight hill or a valley. Your antennas have
       | to be above the surrounding terrain to get a high data rate mesh
       | to work. And for most places that means spending money to get
       | access to rooftops or towers. Everyone just adding their node in
       | their house, car, or as a phone is not going to do it.
       | 
       | tldr; the only thing that matters is height above terrain and
       | that costs lots of money.
        
         | cowtools wrote:
         | What if you just had a balloon or something that was tethered
         | to some ground station. Might be cheaper than a radio tower.
        
           | superkuh wrote:
           | These days many people are working on tethered multi-copter
           | based active radio "towers". The most interesting ones use
           | single wire (~28awg) surface wave transmission lines with
           | lightweight launchers on both ends to transmit significant RF
           | power which is rectified at the multicopter to use for flight
           | energy.
           | 
           | Balloons and kites work but they're much more difficult to
           | control.
        
       | vineyardmike wrote:
       | So I'll admit I also came to the page expecting cow-antennae or a
       | story about learnings from community-run mesh wifi on a larger
       | scale where neighborhoods came together to spread free internet,
       | similar to these.
       | 
       | https://www.meshcenter.org/networks/
        
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       (page generated 2022-09-25 23:01 UTC)