💾 Archived View for jsreed5.org › log › 2022 › 202211 › 20221117-decenralized-infrastructure.gmi captured on 2023-12-28 at 15:48:43. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2023-01-29)
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Many projects have developed tools for decentralized communication, content distribution and even discovery protocols. One thing that remains highly centralized, however, is infrastructure. A few key companies own and control the telecom radio towers, the fiber cable tunnels, the communication satellites, the electrical substations, the cargo and passenger aircraft, and the container ships. Even amateur radio often relies on repeaters placed atop privately-owned skyscrapers and broadcast towers.
One reason why I find self-sustainability so interesting is that it can help break reliance on infrastructure. By growing one's own fruits and vegetables, one doesn't have to buy produce from a megastore, while simultaneously adding nutrients back to the soil and capturing CO2 on a small scale. Rain barrels can save money and conserve water when used prudently. Renewable sources of energy, from wind turbines to solar power, cut down on carbon emissions in the long run.
For the same reason, I find mesh networks quite fascinating. I like the idea of building community- or worldwide systems using only the resources at the scale of individual people. It's also one reason why I like tools that are easy to use independently and individually, such as self-hosting small Internet services like Gopher and Gemini.
There is a difference between self-sufficiency projects like renewable energy and distributed infrastructure projects like mesh networks, though. Self-sufficiency projects aim to fulfill the needs of one person or a few people at a time. Distributed infrastructure, on the other hand, aims to provide accessibility to anyone who wishes to have it. If two people want to interact with each other but are separated geographically, the infrastructure must somehow traverse that distance.
Projects like LoRa mesh try to alleviate this problem by trading bandwidth for robust long-distance connections. I'm sure there are other solutions as well, and the future of space infrastructure holds promise too. But it's not an easy problem to solve.
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[Last updated: 2022-11-17]