Category Archives for open source

PirateBox

I’ve been wanting to make a PirateBox ever since I heard about them a while back. Essentially, a PirateBox is an independent, wireless file sharing device. Which means that in the event of an apocalypse, we could still transfer files and communicate through chat.

Here’s a video from the official PirateBox website that demonstrates how it works:

The process is pretty simple. I chose the MR3020 router since it is small and very portable, and it has a USB port built into it. And it’s kind of stylish.

Other parts:

  • USB drive
  • Toggle switch
  • USB port
  • LED (optional, but I like using indicator lights to test if things are working. Plus lights make everything cooler.)
  • Wires, soldering equipment, etc.

The first thing I did was program the router and install the PirateBox software. This entails telnetting into the device and doing a bit of recoding so that all of the networks are open. It uses a program called OpenWrt.

Following the directions on the website, it’s pretty straightforward. The only thing I had an issue with was changing the SSID to PirateBox – Share Freely. Right now it is stuck on OpenWrt, but I can connect to it just fine. I might change the name of the SSID all together like, “Connect here for a good time.” ;)

Next came setting up the box. I had gone to the military surplus store and a thrift store to find a cool case to build it in, but didn’t find much. I just got a black project box instead and spray painted it a matte white. I then sprayed the official PirateBox logo on the top in black, with red eyes, just for some contrast.

Wiring the inside didn’t take very long. I wanted it to be powered by both USB cable and battery with the option to switch back and forth, so I installed a toggle switch with two options. I chose a red LED to match the red eyes on the front, and I crudely installed a USB port (they really need holders for USB ports, mine always look rough around the edges — literally.)

Here’s what it looks like on the inside:

And here it is all finished on the outside:

And here’s what it looks like when it’s connected (on my HTC EVO smartphone):

I have plans to add an antenna and replace the USB drive with a larger external harddrive since I have the space. I also may add a solar panel on it but that’s not really a priority now. I also have to add files to the USB drive. What kinds of cool stuff should I exchange with others? I think I might put my favorite manifestos on it, including the hacker manifesto, the cyberfeminist manifeso, and the open source way. I will probably also put some custom ezines on there, maybe cyberpunk themed. And maybe music? Or tutorials? I’ll have to think about that for a while.

Anyway, this is a really fun project, and I think everyone should make one so we can have a better independent network to exchange information.

Information Overload | January 27, 2012

So I’ve decided to do Information Overload on Fridays as well, because by the end of the week I’ve probably read more cool stuff that I want to share, and I had a lot of fun doing the installment on Monday. It’s like an annotated bibliography! (Why am I excited about that? Can you tell I’ve been in academia mode?)

If you have any cool articles you think I’d like, send ‘em my way by visiting my contact page!

CURRENT EVENTS

Remembering January 25 in Egypt and on Twitter | The Daily Dot

It’s been a year since the Tahrir Square protest in Cairo, Egypt. It was a revolution that shook the world awake and has resulted in countless other protests throughout the globe, including America’s ongoing Occupy Wall Street. This article features people commemorating the Arab Spring anniversary.

The world’s biggest ever strike, India, 28th February 2012 | Libcom

Speaking of collective action, India is planning the world’s biggest strike on February 28th. Sounds like a call for some global solidarity. A large stone dropped into a lake sets off some big ripples…

EDUCATION

EdCamp turns teachers into grassroots idea hackers | Good.is

I’ll read pretty much anything with “education” and “hackers” in it, so this article struck my fancy almost immediately. I love the notion of educators “hacking” ideas—that’s what they should be doing! I also think the “unconference” idea is interesting and I’d like to participate in something like that sometime. If I end up doing my PhD soon, I’d like to get more involved with EdCamp. I’m pretty convinced that bridging education with hacking culture is what will save our schools, because we’ll end up deconstructing everything that isn’t working and forming a new way of approaching learning—hopefully with an open source mentality. :) (On a somewhat related note, Good.is’s Education section is one of the best on the web. The editor Liz Dwyer tackles a ton of great topics. I highly suggest subscribing to her new’s feed if you’re at all interested in the future of education.)

Google says Chromebooks now in hundreds of schools | Hack Education

Later this weekend I’ll be sharing an essay about why Apple’s announcement about textbooks on the iPad isn’t a big deal at all, and this is a good reason why. As an open source advocate, I think that digital textbooks are an excellent way to reduce the financial and environmental burden of physical textbooks, and can be used to make interactive, innovative texts from which students can learn and actually interact with. Inexpensive—or even free—technology should be a huge focus of educators and investors looking for a project in which to invest, because it makes knowledge and information accessible to students who may never have had access to it before. I like that Google is encouraging an open platform that can be adapted to fit particular schools. It’s nice to see this kind of tech in classrooms.

ENVIRONMENT

Saving Food From The Fridge: It Will Taste Better, May Even last Longer, And Reduce Your Energy Bills | Treehugger

Aside from the snarky comments toward technology—I’ll never understand why technology and the environment have to be regarded as separate… even the most basic tools our ancestors made are technically considered “technological”—I think this is a really interesting approach to storing food. My boyfriend and I are always stressing about our produce going bad in our fridge, so sometimes we leave certain items out on the counter (which doesn’t always help either). I would love another way to store—and display!—my food, because I think vegetables are terrific and deserve to be seen in a home. I agree with the point that when beautiful and colorful produce is displayed, people are more likely to pick it up and chomp on it. I am always tempted to bite into radishes when I’m at the market. Mmm. I’m really interested in the science behind food decay, which I think would help people better understand how to compost and store their food.

TECHNOLOGY

Human-like Autonomous Robot Made From Recycled Parts for Under $500 | Treehugger

Uh oh. The robot takeover has begun. Just kidding. This is so cool! There are so many things you can build with some old parts.

I, for one, am very glad it’s Friday. What are your plans for the weekend? I’m thinking about spray painting my laptop, which I just recently fixed and reformatted (with Fedora 16, finally. Holla!). Or I might just continue redecorating my houses in Skyrim with console commands. It’s pretty much my new favorite hobby.

Information Overload | January 23, 2012

I’m a journalist, so naturally, I’m a news junkie. But I’m also a researcher interested in how people consume and seek out information, so I know firsthand that there is an overwhelming amount of content available to us at all times. This is awesome, but it can also make it hard to think critically about the content with which we are confronted.

I read a lot—a lot—of blogs and websites daily, and I’d like to start sharing some interesting links with you every Monday. So, without further ado, here is the start of the new series, Information Overload!

EDUCATION

Is Sweden’s classroom free school the future of learning? | Good.is

Scandinaviais awesome. Really. They aren’t perfect, but they have some pretty damn good ideas on what makes a healthy, sustainable, intellectually advanced community. We would do well to take a leaf from their book here in ye old ‘Merica. I really like this article about a “classroom free school.” I’ve been working on my literature review for my thesis, which means that I’ve been reading a lot about “unschooling” and “open source education,” and I’m still forming my research-based opinions on what is most effective for adolescent and adult learners. At this point, open source education has more research to support it, but I’m not at all opposed to unschooling. But I think the school featured in this article has a good idea. While I was never opposed to classrooms as a student myself, I don’t see any reason why we should be cooping up young human beings in box shaped rooms all day, and then expect them to become brilliant, passionate scholars. I feel the same way about adults working in offices. Humans need to explore, and become better, more creative learners and thinkers in the process. I also like the statement about teaching according to level, not to age. Grades are so outdated, and they force students of different levels to all learn the exact same stuff the exact same way. Doesn’t make much sense to me. Anyway, this school looks very interesting, and I think this is a great trend in school design. I hope it continues to spread.

TECHNOLOGY

If the Feds can shut down Megaupload, why do they need SOPA? | Ars Technica

More corruption, more censorship, but an interesting look at Megaupload’s shut down and what it means in the midst of internet-censorship legislation.

Ferns, Ficus & Fiber Optics: Digital Watering Reminders | Apartment Therapy

I thought this article was a little silly and this rig is a little unnecessary, but I like the idea of using technology in conjunction with nature, and as a regular plant-killer, I might think of using a simpler version of this at home.

50 Awesome and Unique Case Mods | Ugo

Old article that I just stumbled upon, but this is a nice compilation of computer case mods. The Battlestar Galactica one is awesome. The Leela one is just creepy.

FOOD

PaleoHacks

As a skeptic and an environmental reporter, trends in the food world often send out a red flag for me. I’m still researching the pros and cons of a paleo/keto/low-carb diet, but there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that supports diets full of vegetables, fibers, protein and a bit of healthy fat, so I’ve been trying out keto for the past couple months. When I stick to it, I feel really good, and so far most of the science I’ve found on it has been pretty sound. So I was pretty stoked when I found this paleo community website, which gives a ton of suggestions and feedback on what kinds of foods to eat and how to adapt favorite meals into paleo-friendly recipes. Anything with the word “hack” in it usually catches my interest.

Are Potatoes Paleo? | Primal Palate

Speaking of paleo, what’s the dealio (like the rhyme?) with potatoes? Paleos all seem to have their own opinion on them, and I thought this blog post about it at Primal Palate did a good job of researching it and breaking down the pros and cons.

Mr. Peanut Sandwich Bread | 24-7 Low Carb Diner

A recipe for peanut butter bread. Yes, that’s right—bread, made out of peanut butter. I’m making this tonight. As one of my New Year’s goals, I’ve been trying to make more of the things I like to eat from scratch, or at least at home with ingredients I have around the house. I can reduce the amount of food packaging I use, and I can adapt recipes to suit my dietary needs. I’m interested to see how this turns out.

Have a great week! Is it snowing where you are? It finally snowed here in Northern Nevada!

Continuing the fight for a free internet

As a journalist, researcher and advocate for libraries and open source education, I have a vested interest in ensuring that censorship is never tolerated or allowed to happen. I’m so thrilled to see the country–and dedicated citizens around the world–unite to protest against SOPA and PIPA. If you haven’t already signed a petition and contacted your representative, please do so now.

http://sopastrike.com/modal/strike-modal/index.html

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Innovative 2011

As an academic, it’s always good to know that your research and interests are considered “innovative”—or at the very least, relevant and necessary. Which is why I was so surprised that nearly every topic I’ve tackled (or plan to tackle) in my graduate research was featured in this article by GOOD Magazine, a website/publication of which I am very fond. Basically, the next time someone asks me what I investigate under the label of “literacy,” I’m going to show them this article.

The article references “seven innovations changing the way the world learns,” which are as follows:

1. Open source learning – I was so thrilled to see this as the first listing! MIT’s program is excellent (and will be discussed more in an upcoming Open Learning Series installment). As you well know, if you’re reading this blog, there are many other resources besides just that one, but it’s so great to get some media acknowledgement about alternative, and free, coursework. I’m very optimistic that sometime in the near future, Americans will be able to receive an excellent education for free (cue the socialist hate… womp woooommmmp).

2. Gaming technology – About freakin’ time. It’s so nice to see gaming get the credit it deserves, and is acknowledged as an innovative, extremely creative and challenging art form that packs a ton of possibility for learning in every subject. In the past year or so, I investigated the use of open-world games like Minecraft and role playing games like The Elder Scrolls as a tool to inspire and improve narrative writing (guess what… it works. Kids are inspired when they get to play. Who knew?!). I also did a thorough literature review on research involving female students, gaming and physics, and found that the correlation between girls feeling alienated from both video game culture and hard sciences was linked—which means that if we invite young girls into both, they will have a greater desire to become immersed in hard sciences later in life. Cool stuff! This article also references the use of apps, which I honestly haven’t explored much although I am very open to the idea. I really want full immersive games to be researched though since they are such rich opportunities for learning.

3. Social media – I’ve gotten into a few debates with other educators on this topic. I really think that if students are using something as much as social networking outside of the classroom, then we should absolutely be bringing it into it, otherwise we’re ignoring a very prevalent part of their lives. Many teachers are reluctant to discuss this topic but I know of several who have successfully used Twitter, blogs, Facebook, text messaging, etc. to encourage students to discuss and learn on a more casual, familiar platform.

4. Twitter – Although they singled out Twitter specifically, I think it can be included in social networking, although Twitter offers a lot of potential that other mediums don’t. The article highlights the use of hashtags for collaborative discussions, which is an awesome idea. I personally love using hashtags and find it hard to Tweet without them, because I feel like I’m contributing to a conversation on a particular topic. Excited to see where this goes.

5. Tech literacy – It’s great to see the word “literacy” actually used! All of these ideas listed above encompass literacy, but the word is still confusing to many who consider it to be solely about reading and writing. Guess what… it’s not! Literacy is about how people learn, every subject (check out my “What is Literacy?” series for more detailed overviews of different types of literacy). STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) literacy was the focus of this, which is exciting. What I love about STEM literacy research is that it uses many of the other ideas mentioned above. For instance, when I was researching girls and gaming, STEM literacy is directly related. It’s also extremely important that our students who use technology so faithfully have a sense of how it actually works, so that they can use it safely, and also to its full potential.

6. Conceptual and creative thinking – This is such a necessary idea that should be embraced by all educators. When I was in the National Writing Project research program last summer, these ideas came up a lot, especially in the context of STEM learning, writing and technology. It’s important that students—and the public—begin to see each subject as being both abstract and creative. When I was teaching writing, it was interesting how many students consider writing to be solely creative and text-based, when it is actually quite technical, abstract and visual. Same goes for math—it’s not just about an established series of equations; it takes creative, out-of-the-box thinking to come to the right solution, especially when it comes to mathematics-based subjects like computer programming or chemistry.

7. Libraries – Ahhhh! I nearly cheered out loud when I saw this on the list. Thank you, GOOD, for acknowledging libraries and aptly calling it “The Library Revolution.” There IS a revolution underway—an information revolution, where the quest for the truth is what matters to people, and where the role of librarian has once again become sacred as they serve as keepers of knowledge and protectors of it. Once society stops viewing libraries as archaic institutions without outdated information—and has a greater appreciation for the necessary role librarians play in our world—the possibilities are endless. Three cheers for libraries! Check out my past blogs about libraries and librarians.

Thanks again, GOOD, for the excellent article, and for highlighting the many exciting opportunities we have as a society to challenge and grow. I can’t wait to delve into more research in 2012. :)

GoDaddy recounts SOPA support

Due to the internet boycott against GoDaddy, they have decided to stop backing SOPA. This is great news for internet freedom, plus it shows that collective action really makes a difference!

Check out the Ars Technica article here for more information.

Open Learning Series | Skillshare.com

Welcome to the first installment of the Open Learning Series! This is a guide intended to provide you with ideas of how to learn independently and freely using resources in your community or on the web. Subscribe to my blog to stay updated about new open source learning ideas. Have a suggestion or idea you’d like me to investigate? Want to contribute? Send me an email at astoryunravels@gmail.com.

Skillshare.com

Mini-open learning manifesto:

- You don’t have to be a formal “teacher” to teach

- You don’t have to be a formal “student” to learn

- You don’t have to teach in a classroom

Resource:

Skillshare.com, website, community teaching and learning

Description:

I heard about Skillshare.com a while ago and then promptly forgot about it. Luckily, I stumbled across it again last week.

Skillshare is a way to take or teach classes in your community. Basically, you sign up, create a profile, and then look for classes you want to take. You can also create a class based on essentially anything you want, as long as you have some expertise so you don’t lead your students in the wrong direction. There are classes in virtually every topic. For instance, a class in Los Angeles was “Spanish with Lola,” an informal course for those looking to pick up the language. Another class was called “Overcome Your Fear of Knitting Socks.” There are also classes on cooking, programming, public speaking, and more.

The project is still fairly new so there is not a lot of activity on it yet, but I think that given enough time it could be something pretty revolutionary. This idea isn’t new, but the execution of it hasn’t really been done before successfully in this social networking model. The only thing I don’t like is their resistance to web-based learning. In-person meetups and courses are always valuable, but having a solid infrastructure to encourage independently produced web courses is really needed. I am sure this exists already but I haven’t found it yet. I’ll keep hunting.

Supporting research:

I’ve had a hard time determining how to back this one up with research, because there are so many elements to it. Also, there just isn’t a lot of research about these kinds of projects, which is precisely the problem (I anticipate that in ten years this will have changed drastically). However, I found this article with a few ideas that can be used to support this project.

In their study Integrating Outside Learning with the Classroom Experience: The Student Learning Imperative published in the journal Education, Seidman and Brown (2006) surveyed college students to determine how they viewed their own learning, and found that the students focused on types of learning rather than mentioning specific courses. They state:

“1. Collegiate experiences provided them with critical thinking and problem solving skills; 2. Involvement in outside activities such as clubs and athletics provided them with teamwork and leadership skills; 3. Having a part-time job while in college not only provided students with an understanding of the “real world” but also provided enforced structure and time management skills; 4. The experiences shared by professors and friends provided life-long influences.”

While Skillshare is not a formal academic experience, many of the same ideas are present. Because Skillshare is a voluntary learning endeavor, participants make it a priority to participate based on how they choose to manage their other life commitments. Seidman and Brown (2006) ultimately acknowledge that students will find ways to learn, and often seek out alternative sources. “As the needs and wants of our students change over time, so should the way course content be delivered” (Seidman & Brown, 2006).

Final thoughts:

I think this is a neat project and I’m excited to see it flourish. Not all cities are available yet, including Reno, so some of us will have to wait to teach and take classes. In the meantime, check it out and feel free to add me!

References

Seidman, A. & Brown, S. (2006). Integrating Outside Learning with the Classroom Experience: The Student Learning Imperative. Education. 127(1). pp 109-113.

Introducing: Open Learning Series!

So I figured it’s about time to put my money where my mouth is (what a weird expression) and start sharing some ideas of how communities and the general public can better tap into all of the amazing learning opportunities available. It’s not enough to tell people why ideas are good: you have to show them how these ideas can be implemented in their day to day lives. Makes sense, right? I’m calling this the “open learning series” and am working on a webzine that can be used in classrooms, libraries, hackerspaces and more.

I’m also going to be adding to the “What is Literacy?” series. I’m excited about exploring these ideas in more depth.

If you’re interested in contributing, send me an email at astoryunravels@gmail.com!