Lighthouse - Free & ISP-Free Internet
To be clear, the Internet flies in only one direction down Outernet's information superhighway*. Each day, a 1 GB dose of data funnels through a dish antenna and lands in the company's Lighthouse receiver, where it is available for anyone to download for free. So no emailing, no Skyping, no playing World of Tanks with your friend Cornelius. But given that many areas of the world go without easy physical access to the web, and that others have their service censored or restricted, the self-named "library in the sky" can still deliver a wealth of information and enlightenment (for better or worse) to isolated areas and people.
From books and news to videos and music, Lighthouse enables users to receive Outernet's free data stream anywhere on earth. Generally, that's 1GB of data per day, with the exception of sub-saharan Africa, which gets 100 GB. The box receives its one-way data multicast from Outernet's network of 7 geostationary satellites. Once files come in, Lighthouse stores them on an internal drive, where they are then viewable with any browser or Wi-Fi-enabled device that's connected to Lighthouse's hotspot. Think of it as the Internet version of the HD antenna cable-cutters might buy to get the free local stations on their TV. For those in remote or underprivileged parts of the world, that's a helluva lot.
The Outernet multicast includes the collections of Khan Academy, Wikimedia projects (including Wikipedia), Project Gutenberg, and the Open Education Consortium, as just a few examples. The system is ideal for classroom use, as teachers have the option of specifying what content from the multicast actually gets saved on Lighthouse. The box itself has 4GB of internal storage, plus another 3 USB ports for adding external storage. It can connect up to 5 devices at once, with a range of 50'.
Lighthouse usage requires access to the Outernet multicast via a Ku- or C-Band satellite dish (separate purchase and setup required). Other than the one-time purchase of this equipment, the service is completely free and requires no subscription. In addition to low-resource schools, Lighthouse creators see the device's benefits extending to refugee camps, remote health centers, and homes in need of a place to store free music, videos, and ebooks.
*This Throwback Thursday brought to you by the 1990s and Al Gore.
DudeIWantThat.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
/butterfly-labs-jalapeno-10600.jpg?mode=crop "Butterfly Labs Jalapeno Bitcoin Miner")
Butterfly Labs Jalapeno Bitcoin Miner
Butterfly Labs' entry level Jalapeno Bitcoin miner sells with a mining rate of 5 G/Hash per second, as well as with an upgrade that bumps its performance to 7 G/Hash per second. And while both are pretty paltry in comparison...
/nfc-programmable-smart-ring-31165.jpg "NFC Programmable Smart Ring")
NFC Programmable Smart Ring
At this point you could put a different type of smart ring on every one of your fingers if you wanted. The NFC Ring is a programmable piece of smart jewelry you can wave around powerful wizard- or dismissive CEO-style...
/map-of-the-internet-11187.jpg?mode=crop "Map of the Internet")
Map of the Internet
Jay Simons and Martin Vargic: students; graphic designers; Slovakians; Internet cartographers. If the Web were divided into land masses, grouped along lines of latitude and meridians and flattened into a map on your desk...
The USB Kill 2.0 Computer Killer
If you're using a USB Kill stick you're either pen-testing, trashing your old PC for recycling, or being very, very...very evil. Come on now, I know he cooks eggs in the staff room microwave, and eats beef & bean burritos...
Enigmaze Internet Password Bracelet
I always wear my heart on my sleeve, my egg on my face, and my internet passwords on my wrist. And surprisingly, the Enigmaze Internet Password Bracelet may be the best of those 3 decisions...
i.Con Smart Condom Penis Tracker
British Condoms' i.Con isn't the first sexual fitness tracker to make the rounds in the UK--back in 2014 Bondara teased, but then never released the SexFit. At printing, i.Con was doing the same. Teasing your eager overachiever...
iMirror Interactive Glass
Like the Cybertecture Mirror from Tech2O, POSH View's iMirror seeks to bring the internet to a place the company says we spend over 168 hours, or 7 full days, every year: the looking glass...
SurfEasy - Internet Privacy to Go
Remember the good old days when a computer screen was a shield of privacy, a veil of mystery, an incognito way to surf raunchy websites and cyberstalk first loves? Well, SurfEasy is your USB-shaped DeLorean to the times...
Cybertecture Mirror
The Cybertecture Mirror allows us to gaze simultaneously upon the two things we like gazing upon best: the Internet and ourselves. A glass reflection of both beatific mugs, and streaming Web content, the futuristic mirror...
/nanoform-sapphire-eternal-17876.jpg "Nanoform Sapphire Eternal Storage Disk")
Nanoform Sapphire Eternal Storage Disk
Sapphire isn't just a name Fahrenheit 2451 gave their Nanoform storage disk because they thought it looked dreamy photographed against that shade of blue background. Rather, the Nanoform disk itself is made from 2 thin...
/amazon-dash-buttons-18469.jpg?mode=crop "Amazon Dash Buttons")
Amazon Dash Buttons
Imagine snapping your fingers and--poof!--more coffee, bottled water, and toilet paper just show up at your door. Amazon Dash Buttons are like that, but maybe even better because pressing a button is actually way easier...
Amiigo Fitness Tracker
What if you had a tiny device to track your reps, sets, duration, speed, and intensity? Would you work out more? Would you work out harder? Yeah, me neither, but I'd use it to barter with a strong, fit person who actually...