<nettime> phone indymedia patch - PIMP

[dr.woooo@nomasters.org]

"the voice of indymedia" 
 
  Despite the widespread acceptance of the internet as a news resource in the
developed world, there are many occasions where access to computers is limited
or non-existant. In such circumstances, a more `low-tech' solution is called
for. 

The PIMP allows anyone with access to a telephone to submit reports to
indymedia. It was originally developed to allow up-to-the-minute reports to be
made from actions such as Mayday and Woomera, where computers are in short
supply, or not easily accessible to the `people on the ground.' Reports are
submitted to indymedia as audio files, and indymedia followers not physically
involved in the action are encouraged to transcribe these.  
...


Victor wrote ; 
 http://spacestation.mine.nu:8081/pimp 

vic on smug, 
on SMUG - http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0301/msg00037.html

... Anyways, I will press ahead
regardless. The sms system used in sydney was called SMUG,
I think it was released as free software (or at least it is based on free
software).
It consisted of one mobile fone connected to a computer. The mobile
received msgs, parsed them, then took action. If the message started
with the word `SMUG', it was broadcast (i.e. re-sent) to all subscribers.
Problems here included the cost of sending messages (ended up costing a few
hundred dollars; 80 subscribers = $20 per broadcast), and also latency
in sending messages; SMS is _not_ a realtime system, some messages were
received several hours after they were sent. 
 
I personally had no part in the development of SMUG, but am
currently working on a similar system which will (among other things)
interface to  indymedia. To solve the cost of broadcasts problem I am working
on using free internet-sms gateways where possible, and charging for
the service
where this is not available. Latency is basically unavoidable.
 
Another point to consider is that the system is _not_ decentralised;
it relies on telco infrastructure, and could be remarkably easily
shut down if the powers that be shut down a particular mobile fone cell
at the time of an action (the iXpress group at s11 feared this and subsequently
did not rely on mobiles for communication). 


The PIMP system was used at sydney, and is being further refined.
There will shortly be a single national PIMP number to dial which
will service all australian indymedia sites. ...

#  distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
#  archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net