Had a crazy week: loads of email from what's starting to become a real community, and much (maybe too much) press attention.
I have a distinct feeling however that there is something holding us back.
Me.
This blog was first set up as a place to capture comments about the idea and the design, but it wants to evolve into something else... a community where ideas are discussed, news swapped and help given.
A blog that is maintained by one person just isn't the right framework for that sort of partcipation. You've probably all noticed that the postings here are getting less frequent. I've become a real bottleneck, and a burnt-out bottleneck at that. I'm a midwife, not a nanny - I can't keep this going on my own, and I need others to help out.
So - what we need is:
An aside:
In press reports, I've been namechecked as 'the creator', both of this idea and hilariously of the BBC's website. This simply isn't true. This idea was created in concert, initially with 4 people in a pizza joint, and then more widely with all of you. Everything I do at the BBC has been done with groups, often large groups, of amazing people. I can't think of one thing that I have ever done professionally or otherwise, that I have been proud of that I alone could have said to have created.
I just don't think it works that way. I can't work that way.
I find it interesting that the mainstream press, and maybe our culture at large still likes the idea of an auteur - the lone creator inflicting their works on the world.
The way we are all collaborating on this idea means this myth, in this instance, has never been less true. The work of many hands, around the world is making the news, not just me. Let's quickly switch this community to a structure that makes this plain to all, and lets us all collaborate to take it to the next level.
Thanks for everything so far -
Matt
Posted by matt at July 27, 2002 01:47 PMMatt, I am willing to help out, and MIGHT be able to provide hosting. I co-own http://www.duramedia.net and might be able to set you up on our servers depending on bandwidth. How much bandwidth are you expecting to pull?
Also, I am currently involved in a couple community sites dealing with Macromedia Flash, etc. so I could possibly help you setup something like you are speaking of, with Forums, News, Tutorials, etc... Would be kinda fun :)
Email me at warchalking@joshdura.com if you are interested. Thanks
Posted by Josh Dura at July 27, 2002 07:34 PMI help running a community which hosts the sites www.betaone.net, www.playone.net and www.c0deone.net.
The c0deone part concentrates on mainly software, but I would be happy to expand it to cover any kinda collaborative project.
I cant commit myself w/o discussing it with the others, but we have a dedicated server with unlimited bandwidth to our disposal, and there is a good chance we can help out.
Please email me if you are interested, and give more details on what kind of bandwidth requirements, software, etc, the site would need.
Probably the best idea would be to have a central portal, but hold most discussions in a forum, but its up to you...
Posted by Zone-MR at July 28, 2002 02:41 PMMatt,
My name is Carl Stahmer, and I have been working on collaborative, web-based community platforms for many years. I am a graduate student with a personal and political interest in electronic communities. I am one of the founders and current General Editors of the Romantic Circles website http://www.rc.umd.edu, a scholarly on-line community deveotd to the study of 19th century English poetry. At romantic circles, we have recently completed a major, three year research project with the National Endowment for the Humanities (USA) that dealt specificially with creating on-line communities. For this project, we used the enCore web-interface to a Lambda-Core MOO. It provided both synchronous and non-synchronous, web-browsable spaces for interaction and collaborative resource building. The thing worked really well. You can play around on an updated versio of the interface that we just installed and are working to fine-tune at http://www.rc.umd.edu:7000/. I'd love to help out in any way possible to keep the warchalking thing evolving as a community based movement. Even if the enCore (which is free!!!!) backbone won't work, I am a proficient C++, Perl, VB, Java, and JavaScript programmer and would be happy to provide help if desired/needed.
Carl
Posted by Carl at July 29, 2002 11:05 PMHi Matt.
Perhaps a visual map of the locations would be fun/helpful for the community. Our new web app blogmapper.com associates hot spots on a map with individual blog entries. A global map and a registration system are in the works now.
If interested, let us know.
I can probably help out with the hosting. Just email me and let me know what kind of bandwidth you're talking about. Also, vbulletin is a pretty good forum program that could be run for discussions, or phpbb to go the free route.
Cheers,
Craig
Unless the bandwith (and CPU) requirements are extreme, I should be able to offer a decent hosting service. May I suggest postnuke on a MAL platform? If you think about 2 Mbps average (100 Mbps peak) hooked up to some Sun Netra server will do the trick; drop me a mail. - what I can't do is find the time to involve myself in the actual site administration. Cheers!
Posted by Roy at July 31, 2002 10:17 AMHi Matt:
You (and your pizza eating pals) sure created a Frankenstein meme! I think you've done a great job incubating this idea. Maybe the NetStumbler guys can add a Warchalking section to their wardriving site (www.netstumbler.com)? I'm not affiliated with them so I don't know if this is a good fit or not, but you might try giving them a shout.
Thanks for lighting a fire under chalk sales worldwide! :-)
Cheers!
Posted by Michael Yasui at July 31, 2002 04:22 PM
Hey Matt,
We're huge fans of warchalking over here at Rocksteady Networks in Austin, Texas. We're interested in hosting the site. We're developing software that enables "wisp-in-a-box" capability for start up's wanting to become WISPs, as well as "responsible-sharing" AP management software for companies and organizations wishing to share their bandwidth with their neighbors without threatening/risking the primary use of their network. Responsible-sharing reminds us very much of the old UUCP and Usenet days where a company needed to balance the IT load of being upstream vs the corporate responsibility to participate in the community network. The wi-fi zeitgeist feels very familiar. We hope we can help.
--r
I've got a fairly beefy server, and extremely beefy bandwidth. Maybe a distributed solution might be better. I have no idea what the actual volume of traffic you're experiencing is, but I know I can help out with some.
(another) Matt
Hi Matt,
Well here we go I am a web guru and spent a few hours last weekend putting together a begiining solution for your problem. I speak 6 languages and a professional web programmer, building mainly global intranet solutions. I am at the moment working on a ASP type solution whcih will enable broadband and ADSL type wirteless hotspots for several global blue chip companies and clients. These companies are planning roaming as well on a global level so I do no all the ins and outs on the technical side.
As demonstrated on the URL above is it not difficult for me to host and manage a solution for you as a beginningmodel is already in place on a free domain name running of my persoanl web server. All feedback is welcome before I move this to a better web server. I already have a commercial sponsor with quality web servers readied up to host the final solution. So let me know what you think.
Kind regards,
Charles
The test demo is located a t www.warchalking.dns2go.com
My contact address: chosstyn@visitronics.be
Posted by charles osstyn at July 31, 2002 11:31 PMGood evening
Im not quite sure i understand what exactly it is you need, but;
i have server space, and some pretty good bandwidth...domain; www.infested.org, where my IP, 195.139.90.218 (dns if you wish), is reversed to infested.org (note; not www.infested.org)
i must say, im very excited about this project...it shows that people are toghether, in 'demonstrating' against what should be a free, worldwide service...the internet.
i currently work as a programmer as a software company, and as a freelance graphical artist.
my e-mail is; admin@infested.org
homepage; www.infested.org
phone; send me a mail if you need it.
im hoping to be able to contribute to this...
Regards,
Martin Scherer
Hi
I am involved in various broadband and wireless projects including Wireless Wight (See http://consume.net Wiki Consume in the area.
Been involved in planning a wireles community for some time, also run a small telco/hosting company.
Any way I can help
Posted by Paul Randle-Jolliffe at August 1, 2002 04:05 PMI could possible help out with hosting (Solaris, php, 100Mb/s connection to UK Internet).
Also why not extend the symbolism to support Bluetooth, there is eventually going to be a lot more Bluetooth than 802.11a/b/g/h ...
Anyway
_
| \
|_/ closed Bluetooth node
| \
|_/
|/
|\
|/ open Bluetooth node
|\
Steve
Posted by Steve Kennedy at August 1, 2002 06:12 PMHmmmm.. Why not develop software that lets you route/repeat a wireless network connection.
So say theres one wireless node somewhere, by setting up your card in the building next to it as a repeater, you extend the reach to other users, and so on...
I could relatively easily develop the software, and also a portal which maps the location of all nodes, repeaters, etc on a globally accessible map. You can register your interest to host a wireless repeater/gateway and it will inform you how many others in the area are close enough to benefit from it etc..
Posted by Zone-MR at August 2, 2002 11:17 AMHi,
If you still need hosting, I own a dual-site ISP, with 100M-Bit burstable on one site, and 2x2Mbit dedicated on the other site. PostNuke is a crispy CMS to use, with loads of plugins (Like PHPbb and WebChat). I am also involved in several Community Wireless Network projects, and some grass-roots Community projects.
Hope I'm not too late to help.
Geoff
Posted by Geoff Jukes at August 2, 2002 01:35 PMLooks like you've had enough hosting offers now, but let me know if you could do with some server space at an Estonian web company I part own (www.aasa.ee). Let me know your spec requirements.
Just bought a wifi card after finding that Tallinn (Estonia) has wireless access in most cafes, hotels, and even on the beach! Check out www.wifi.ee - Makes London look kind of slow really. I love the idea of war chalking, but it would be nice if we just had free access across the city. I saw the following story in a magazine on e-government today:
BROADBAND: The Government's proposed auction of licenses for the 3.4GHz waveband of the radio spectrum, considered by Ministers to be a key part of the UK's broadband strategy, has been delayed until an unspecified date. The move comes a week after the DTI announced its intention to hold an auction in October of 3.4GHz licenses to potential suppliers of wireless broadband services. A DTI spokesperson told eGov monitor Weekly that the delay was due to the Government's decision to "consider further the terms and conditions of the award" and that "an announcement will be made when the reassessment is complete". No date has yet been set for the publication of the draft auction notice, which was due to made available last week.
Sad isn't it! Hope you sort all this out ok.
Toby
Posted by Toby Stone at August 6, 2002 10:38 PMLooks like you've had enough hosting offers now, but let me know if you could do with some server space at an Estonian web company I part own (www.aasa.ee). Let me know your spec requirements.
Just bought a wifi card after finding that Tallinn (Estonia) has wireless access in most cafes, hotels, and even on the beach! Check out www.wifi.ee - Makes London look kind of slow really. I love the idea of war chalking, but it would be nice if we just had free access across the city. I saw the following story in a magazine on e-government today:
BROADBAND: The Government's proposed auction of licenses for the 3.4GHz waveband of the radio spectrum, considered by Ministers to be a key part of the UK's broadband strategy, has been delayed until an unspecified date. The move comes a week after the DTI announced its intention to hold an auction in October of 3.4GHz licenses to potential suppliers of wireless broadband services. A DTI spokesperson told eGov monitor Weekly that the delay was due to the Government's decision to "consider further the terms and conditions of the award" and that "an announcement will be made when the reassessment is complete". No date has yet been set for the publication of the draft auction notice, which was due to made available last week.
Sad isn't it! Hope you sort all this out ok.
Toby
Posted by Toby Stone at August 6, 2002 10:39 PMI am willing to help. It looks like hosting offers are not the problem. But since you have pointed out that this is more than a one person job, perhaps one of the Open Source development forums like Source Forge might be a a better fit. The tools for multiple 'developers' to cooperate are all in place.
Anyway, I have time available and some skills. What exactly is needed at this point?
MikeD
Posted by MikeD at August 14, 2002 07:55 PM