Starting today, “using existing geostationary satellites, Outernet will broadcast a signal that will contain, in this early test phase, Project Gutenberg literature, Wikipedia articles, and news from Deutsche Welle. In a world where only 35.5% of humanity has access to the information on the Internet, this marks an enormous step towards universal information access. All Outernet content is available for free to anyone who wants it. Users are invited to contribute to Outernet’s open source software and open hardware. Outernet has released details on how to assemble a receiver to access the Outernet signal, available on their website.”
This is a revolutionary endeavor that combines free data, open source, global information equality and cheap-open hardware, and I am proud that Project Gutenberg is a part of it. As Greg Newby, Director of the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, says, “Outernet has a vision that is wonderfully aligned with Project Gutenberg, encompassing free access, freedom from censorship and monitoring, and unlimited distribution.”
To learn more about Outernet, how it works, its reach and how to build your own receiver, check out these resources:
Outernet: Information for the World from Outer Space
Outernet explained: Broadcasting the content of the Web [L.A. Times]
The contents of the internet, via satellite [Marketplace]
