

Tethr: Getting online in a crisis - sciurus
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120413-communicating-in-a-crisis

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rdl
I have this functionality in a backpack. The problem is the BGAN satellite
link is about $5-10k for the equipment and $3-12/MB for data, so it is
effectively short text message and IRC only for me.

If you are in specific areas, it probably would be better to use a vsat like
wildblue, although far less portable. At that point it basically requires a
big car or station wagon to transport all your gear, and a semi skilled
operator to set it up.

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huslage
I'm the founder of Tethr and am really happy that you guys enjoyed the
article. We're planning a lot of new things and hope you'll stay tuned.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have.

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iNate2000
Great work! Is there a place where I could see a list of the off-the-shelf
hardware used in the device?

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huslage
We're still working on our website, but will have the info in due time.

Would there be interest in a kit version?

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ondrae
Tethr is a really cool convergence of open source software and hardware that
will save lives. I'm really impressed by disaster response technology. I hope
Tethr works well and is widely deployed.

Light weight related, the Open Street Maps response to the Haiti earthquake
was particularly impressive. Here is a slideshow about that.
<http://www.slideshare.net/sabman/haiti-quake-public-key>

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tobylane
I'm surprised to ever say the words, but copy of this BBC page for those of us
in the UK?

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izak30
<http://www.readability.com/articles/0qieknze>

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corin_
Interestingly, clicking that link first redirects me to
[http://www.readability.com/read?url=http%3A//www.bbc.com/fut...](http://www.readability.com/read?url=http%3A//www.bbc.com/future/story/20120413-communicating-
in-a-crisis) (which shows the BBC page, with its "We're sorry but this site is
not accessible from the UK" message), but if I then load your URL again it
shows the article through readability just fine.

Related note, I never have and still don't understand why any BBC content is
blocked for UK viewers. If it's paid for by our license fees we should have
access, if it isn't and is instead funded 100% from advertising, why not show
adverts to us rather than block our views?

edit: Info on the launch of "BBC Future" (which this story is under) at
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldwide/220212future.html> \- but no
statement on why content "created for a non-UK audience" can't allow the UK
audience to read as well.

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izak30
I'm in the US and I don't know anything about the BBC's licensing, funding,
etc. I do love, love, love its content.

~~~
corin_
In case you're interested, here's a quick overview, as it's an interesting and
(I think) unique situation.

The BBC is publicly owned, and it's primary source of income is "the license
fee". A TV license is required if you watch any live TV in the UK, and costs
£145/year ($230). You need a license even if you never watch a BBC channel
(there are 100s of channels - our equivalents of HBO, ESPN etc.) however you
don't need a license if you never watch live TV (you can watch on-demand TV,
for example through BBC iPlayer, and not have to have a license).

BBC also makes money through stuff like DVD sales, both in the UK and all over
the world, and by selling shows they own to other countries (e.g. Top Gear).

Most content on the BBC website (news/etc.) is available from anywhere in the
world, but if you visit from outside the UK you are shown advertising. Video
content (e.g. TV shows on iPlayer) is generally not available outside the UK,
however I believe this is soon to change and it will be available for a fee.

Some small amounts of content (for example this "BBC Future", that this
article is from) are for some unknown reason created for a non-UK audience and
does not allow viewers with UK IP addresses.

(OK, it's not easy to give a "quick" overview of the BBC, my bad.)

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1337biz
Maybe worth adding to the outside-of-the-UK part:

They have been offering for quite a while now the (fee based) BBC Global
iPlayer. It seems rather successful despite the £44/year price-tag:
[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9403432/BBC-
globa...](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9403432/BBC-global-
iPlayer-app-reaches-one-million-downloads.html)

~~~
corin_
Wow time flies, had no idea it had launched already, yet alone a year ago -
thanks for correcting me.

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matan_a
seems like a good candidate for Kickstarter

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malandrew
This is exactly what I was thinking.

I can't afford a $2000 unit now or a $500 unit a year or so from now, but the
possibility of having something like this available for $100-$200 3 years from
now is super exciting.

I just bought my first touring bike and plan on really getting into it over
the next couple of years. Having reliable intern ate access while on a long
trip would be great.

