[WNDW] press release draft

Thu Jan 26 21:08:49 PST 2006

All,

I am happy with the copy-edits. Thanks for the help.

I concur regarding posting it in the wiki, I only meant that we should 
simply record where we have sent the press release so not to duplicate 
effort. Thus only remark where it was sent in the wiki.

Rob, I'm off to sleep. Use the copy that you sent in your last email as 
the final version. Please go ahead and post that to the site. I think 
that having it in text format, or on a web page is best... something 
that someone can copy-and-paste into their editor of choice is best 
(i.e. no pdf).

Great work, congrats all!

Ian

Rob Flickenger wrote:

>Hello all--
>
>I've done my own copyedit, including the edits from  Jim and Tomas.
>
>Whenever you point people at the print version, *please* just use the  
>website link, http://wndw.net/.  The Lulu URL will change for the  
>next rev, and we may eventually go with another publisher, so the  
>website will always have the current info.
>
>Feel free to list me as the North American contact.  Please use this  
>phone number for my contact info:
>(206) 202-3230
>
>So, if there are any more edits on this, can we get them in by 17:00  
>PST (01:00 GMT)?  At that point I'll post the press release to the  
>website, and it'll be final version we use.  From personal  
>experience, I don't recommend putting press releases on wikis.
>
>Thanks for your work on this, Ian!  This is fantastic.
>
>And mirroring instructions are coming soon, I promise!
>
>--Rob
>
>-=-=-=-=-
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>London, England-- Imagine trying to piece together a wireless network  
>with no manuals, sporadic and slow access to the Internet, inadequate  
>tools, a shortage of supplies, and in the most inclement weather. The  
>authors of a recently published book, "Wireless Networking in the  
>Developing World" don't need to imagine.  They have been doing so for  
>years.
>
>	In almost every village, town, or city in the developing world,  
>there are people who can build just about anything.  With the right  
>know-how, this can include wireless networks that connect their  
>community to the Internet. The book addresses what Rob Flickenger,  
>the book's editor and lead author, calls a chicken-and-egg problem:  
>"While much information about building wireless networks can be found  
>on-line, that presents a problem for people in areas with little or  
>no connectivity", said Flickenger from his workshop in Seattle. The  
>book covers topics from basic radio physics and network design to  
>equipment and troubleshooting. It is intended to be a comprehensive  
>resource for technologists in the developing world, providing the  
>critical information that they need to build networks.  This includes  
>specific examples, diagrams and calculations, which are intended to  
>help building wireless networks without requiring access to the  
>Internet.
>
>	In the developing world, one book can often be a library, and to a  
>techie this book may well be a bible. Access to books is difficult  
>where there are few libraries or book stores, and there is often  
>little money to pay for them. "Our book will be released under a  
>Creative Commons license, so everybody can copy and distribute it  
>free of charge. That doesn't mean it is a 'cheap' book. I think it is  
>a great book," stated Corinna 'Elektra' Aichele, one of the books co- 
>authors who was recently installing wireless networks in Bangladesh.
>
>	The book has been released under a Creative Commons license, meaning  
>that it is free to download, print and modify, even for a profit, as  
>long as proper credit is given and any modifications or copies made  
>are shared under the same terms. For Flickenger, who has already  
>published several successful books, publishing a book for free has  
>been an interesting endeavor. He explains, "the Book Sprint team felt  
>that the need for a freely available collection of practical  
>information greatly outweighed any short term profit."
>
>	For the authors, all of whom spend their time building networks in  
>the developing world, their pay-back will be having a resource to  
>hand to their beneficiaries. "I wasn't paid and I don't expect to  
>earn money with it, though that would be nice," stated Elektra.
>
>	The authors, all experts in the field of wireless community  
>networking, gathered in London for a "Book Sprint" last October. The  
>book sprint was the brain-child of Tomas Krag, one of the book's  
>authors, and was to be the kickstart of a 3-month effort culminating  
>in a finished book. The trans-continental team spent a week in the  
>aging Lime House Town Hall near the Thames for a week, fleshing out  
>the details of the book while sitting around a mix of old tables,  
>powering their notebooks over yards of extension cords and with  
>stacks of power adapters.  Flickenger explains, "the idea was to get  
>a hand picked, tightly focused team of experts together and  
>aggressively work on a book project." The team wrote, edited, and  
>have now released the 250 page manual in only three months. Though he  
>admits it was difficult to motivate a team who was not being paid,  
>especially over the holidays, Flickenger's quiet persistence prevailed.
>
>	The authors also hope that by releasing the book into the "Creative  
>Commons" that it can be improved, expanded, corrected and translated.  
>Efforts are underway to translate the book into other languages and  
>to provide it to those who need it most, the 5 to 6 billion who don't  
>yet have access to the Internet today.
>
>	The book is available in PDF form and for sale in print at the  
>book's website: http://wndw.net/
>
>Ian Howard, co-Author, Limehouse BookSprint Team
>
>For more information:
>
>Web site: http://wndw.net/
>
>Canada: Ian Howard <ihoward at adaptic.ca>  +1 647 722 5629 x1
>Denmark: Tomas Krag  <t at wire.less.dk> +45 27115960
>Germany: Corinna 'Elektra' Aichele <onelektra at gmx.net> +49-30-220 192 77
>United States: Rob Flickenger <rob at nocat.net> +1 206 202-3230
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>WNDW mailing list
>WNDW at lists.nocat.net
>http://lists.nocat.net/mailman/listinfo/wndw
>  
>

-- 
Ian Howard
Director/Technical Lead
AdapTIC.ca - http://adaptic.ca
Adapted Information and Communications Technology Solutions
ihoward at adaptic.ca

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