Joinup reports that figures provided by Munich’s Mayor, Christian Ude, reveal that switching to a Linux-based open source desktop reduces costs and results in fewer calls to help desks, and that replacing the current pool of almost 10,000 open source desktops with a proprietary system would increase costs by some 25%. Moreover, the latter would […]
Last week, the lab was pleased to receive a visit from BW member John Palfrey. For those who don’t know him, John is the owner of the Linux Lounge (news passim), an old double-decker bus which he’s refurbished and kitted out as a mobile IT centre, using all open source software, of course! Anyway, to […]
A couple of days ago, Bristol24/7 reported that Bristol is entering the race to be Europe’s top green city in 2014, so it’s perhaps appropriate to have a look at what Bristol Wireless can do as regards green IT (although, of course, we’re not the only people doing stuff like this in Bristol. Ed.). The […]
Here at Bristol Wireless we’re keen advocates on green ICT and have many times experienced the delights of providing off-mains event ICT powered by renewables (news passim), so were overjoyed to hear of a recent development in India. India’s Simmtronics Semiconductors recently announced the launch of a solar-powered desktop. What’s more, it’s running Linux, making […]
On Monday the advance crew – by now known as the tat-down team and consisting mostly of Bristol Wireless volunteers – arrived back tired but satisfied from the rural Barncamp site up the Wye Valley. Our journey began the previous Wednesday afternoon, when the advance crew got to site after a frantic best part of […]
Bristol Wireless are advocates of green ICT and constantly urge people to refurbish and re-use hardware where possible before recycling or buying new kit. Nevertheless, we were most intrigued to come across the laptop in a pizza box illustrated below – a fine example of recycling both consumer electronics and disposable food packaging. Eagle-eyed Linux […]
Earlier this week our 2 LTSP gurus, BenG and Acesabe, were busy configuring and preparing a new LTSP suite comprising some donated redundant Rock Clevo T200C laptops as the thin clients. These run on 12 volts and are being made ready for a trip to the forthcoming Barncamp 2011 up in Wye valley (news passim). […]
Don’t ever let anyone convince you that techies survive on pizza, coffee and various flavours of ethyl alcohol. Here at Bristol Wireless, some of us are also great aficionados of Japanese food. Hence we were very interested by the announcement of the Bento Box laptop. To quote from Yanko Design’s original post… Bento is quite […]
Over the Christmas vacation, Bath University took advantage of the absence of students to install 50 new computers on the 5th floor of its library. These new machines are faster, smaller, quieter and generally better to use, as well as being part of a demonstration of a new method of distributing energy. These computers are […]
Yesterday, Rich, Jules and yours truly were representing Bristol Wireless at a Connecting Bristol event (news passim) at the Watershed entitled ‘The Digital Challenge is Over – The Digital Opportunity is Here’. It was good to see some old (not in the geriatric sense. Ed.), familiar faces: Kevin and Stephen from Connecting Bristol, Stephen Dodson […]
Today is the last day to sign up for BarnCamp 2010, which will be staged in the beautiful Wye Valley from 11th to 13th June 2010, courtesy of Hacktionlab, a regular convergence space where activists interested and/or working in the areas of alternative media, renewable energy, online video distribution, free software or any other form […]
Some people may think Twitter trivial (after all, can you say anything meaningful in 140 characters? Ed.), but I find it a great source of news, particularly news I would not otherwise get to hear of, let alone see. One of these is the recent release of Granola, formerly known as Miserware. According to its […]
Earlier this week on Monday, Bristol’s Watershed (“home of the laptoperati” – event quote. Ed.) played host on Monday evening to Connecting Bristol‘s Green Open & Social event. The event was so well attended there was a waiting list for tickets due to over-subscription. As with many Connecting Bristol events, it was also streamed live […]
Our friends at Connecting Bristol have asked for our assistance in publicising their Green, Open and Social event being held at 6 pm on Monday, 22nd March 2010. Connecting Bristol’s Kevin O’Malley writes: Connecting Bristol are hosting a free event on 22nd March exploring the way that the principles of Green, Open and Social Computing […]
Voscur, Bristol’s umbrella organisation for the voluntary and community sectors, recently announced it will be organising green ICT surgeries. They’re to be held between 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. on both Thursday 25 February 2010 and Monday 1 March 2010 on at The CREATE Centre, Smeaton Road, Bristol, BS1 6XN (map). Voscur’s website states: Voscur […]
It’s 3pm on Friday afternoon (aka POETS Day. Ed 🙂 ) and the lab is in the capable hands of Jim, Stefan & your ‘umble scribe. Jim & Stefan, both freshly supplied with a hot drink are busy working away on machines for our refurbishment project, whilst yours truly is catching up on paperwork, but […]
We learn from Connecting Bristol that a green ICT solutions event is being held at Lecture Theatre 2, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantocks Close, BS8 1TS (map) from 6:00pm – 8:15pm. This event will showcase both collaborative projects and commercial providers from Bristol and Bath. Full details, including how to book, can be […]
Our old friend John Palfrey has emailed us with an update and picture of his Linux Lounge bus, which is gradually coming together as a showcase for open source IT and green energy technologies. The bus is a 1984 MCW Mk11 Metrobus, 9.5m in length and is powered by a 10.5L 6 cylinder Gardner engine. […]
Yesterday our friends at Connecting Bristol hosted a Techno Footprint Green ICT Workshop, organised jointly with the council’s Sustainable City Team and The Carbon Trust. The participants came from a wide range of organisations, ranging from charities, the community and voluntary sector, local authorities, the local universities, NHS, local, national and multinational businesses. It was […]
Once camping in a field meant being well out of touch, but today your ‘umble scribe at the Ragged Hedge Fair has sent a birthday greeting to his sister by text message and phoned the family on a VoIP telephone (routed via satellite, back to earth in Germany, Bath, Switzerland, back to the UK and […]