The network routes internet traffic according to the logic of the sun
March 16, 2021 1:05 PM Subscribe
Solar Protocol is a web platform hosted across a network of solar-powered servers set up in different locations around the world.
Really cool. I love that the website design changes based on location, season, etc. It mimics nature in that way.
posted by aniola at 3:11 PM on March 16, 2021
posted by aniola at 3:11 PM on March 16, 2021
Heh. This solar powered website is currently being served from "Coal City" (Newcastle, Australia). Very cool.
posted by quinndexter at 6:56 PM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by quinndexter at 6:56 PM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
As the person who posted this, I though this was really neat.
The cynical asshole in me is tempted to argue about the cost of transmitting data. It's not obvious that a solar powered raspberry pi in the south of England uses less non-renewable energy to send me a web page in the middle of the US than a conventional server farm nearby. But, taking that into account is a thousand times harder and only five percent more interesting, so I absolutely understand the choice. And making an entirely independent network requires a lot more than a few thousand dollars and some like-minded friends. (Also, the html and css could also be compacted quite a bit. . . but, that's getting far into the weeds and missing the point.)
I'm not sure it's a solution to our problems, but it certainly is fun to think about and play with. If I had control of an outdoor space, I'd sign up. I doubt this would be a convincing critical research need that would make our COVID committee at work happy.
posted by eotvos at 8:14 AM on March 18, 2021
The cynical asshole in me is tempted to argue about the cost of transmitting data. It's not obvious that a solar powered raspberry pi in the south of England uses less non-renewable energy to send me a web page in the middle of the US than a conventional server farm nearby. But, taking that into account is a thousand times harder and only five percent more interesting, so I absolutely understand the choice. And making an entirely independent network requires a lot more than a few thousand dollars and some like-minded friends. (Also, the html and css could also be compacted quite a bit. . . but, that's getting far into the weeds and missing the point.)
I'm not sure it's a solution to our problems, but it certainly is fun to think about and play with. If I had control of an outdoor space, I'd sign up. I doubt this would be a convincing critical research need that would make our COVID committee at work happy.
posted by eotvos at 8:14 AM on March 18, 2021
« Older Import Yeti | Safe to be Black Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by gwint at 2:08 PM on March 16, 2021