Imagine a World of Freedom and Openness

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

John Lennon, Imagine

Think about the world 100 years ago and how much it’s changed since then. Think about the world 10 years ago, and how much it’s changed. Imagine where we’ll be in 10 years. Imagine where we’ll be in 100 years. What the future has in store for us is almost unimaginable.

Think about your first computer – how expensive it was, how slow it was, how limited it was – when was that? 20 years ago? 10? 5? Think about your first cell phone – how expensive it was, how slow it was, how limited it was – when was that? 10 years ago? 5?

I’m sure you know of Moore’s Law. Did you realize it doesn’t apply to only computers, but all digital devices? Cameras, cell phones, TVs… everything just keeps getting better and better in new and unexpected ways.

The cost of cellular towers has dropped precipitously since the introduction and widespread adoption of cellular phones. The equipment in a cellular tower has gone from huge, expensive, specialized hardware to a small, mass-production, typical desktop computer with a special card in it and a special kind of software. New cellular base stations using this technology are cheap.

While he wouldn’t disclose exactly what it cost him per tower to add CDMA, he said it was “several thousands of dollars,” as opposed to the $80,000 to $90,000 each it would cost to add a full CDMA base station.

And, like computers, digicams, cell phones, and TVs, the technology keeps getting cheaper.

Think about all the people around you with cell phones. All the people within a mile radius, within a five mile radius, within a ten mile radius. How many cell phones do you think there are around you? Do you think that, with a one, five, or ten mile radius around each cell phone, you could create an unbroken chain of cell phones from wherever you are, to anywhere else on the continent? From, say, New York, to Los Angeles? That’s about 2700 miles. Do you think there’s a cell phone at least every mile or so on that route?

What about Miami to Seattle? Mexico City to Winnepeg?

When cellular towers run on software and hardware that fits in a desktop computer, and cellular phones have the computing power of a desktop computer, why do we need cell towers? And if we don’t need cell towers, why do we need cellular service providers?

Imagine if everyone’s cell phone could talk directly to everyone else’s cellphone, instead of a cellular tower. Imagine if, instead of a cellular service provider, your cellphone had a chip in it, and a piece of free, open-source software on it that gave it all the abilities of a cell tower, and so, so much more?

Imagine if you never had to pay a cellular bill again. Ever. For any reason. You purchase the phone, you keep it charged, and you use it whenever, wherever, and however you like.

Think about it.

Would you like that?

Would you like to save $40 or more, per month, every year for the rest of your life?

What if this same technology didn’t only give you cellular service, but internet service, faster than the wired broadband you have at home? Free, ubiquitous, wireless, open source.

No service providers. No gatekeepers. No bills.

What if this same technology didn’t only give you cellular and internet service, but the same TV stations and radio stations we receive free, and the cable channels and satellite channels that we currently pay for?

And what if this were all still free?

How much could you save? Cell – $480/yr; cable – $480/yr; telephone – $480/yr; internet – $480/yr; that’s $1920 per year, and that’s a low estimate. No service charges, no taxes, no additional fees.

Free cellular, free internet, free cable… in your pocket, everywhere you go. Faster than ever, better than ever, free. Always and forever, free.

What would you do with the savings?

And what if this same device could do so much more, incredibly more, indescribably more than cellular, internet, or cable can on their own?

What if it could always tell you what was down the block, anywhere in the city, or where your friends are? What if it could accept payments and make transactions? What if it could keep all your personal records at your fingertips, act as your diary, journal, and every book you’ve ever read or wanted to read? What if it kept track of all of your possessions, and could tell you exactly where any one of them was, even when you loan it to a friend?

What if it held every song you’ve ever liked, every show you’ve ever watched, every movie you ever wanted to see, every website you’ve ever visited, every file you’ve ever downloaded, and everything you’ve ever wanted to know? What if it even remembered everything you wanted to know about everyone you’ve ever met, and helped you keep in contact with them? What if you could contact anyone on Earth?

What if you could have complete privacy, and complete control over what other people know about you? What if you were single, and you could know who else was single and looking by searching the area around you? What if you like a certain book, and you could know who else liked it just by looking around? What if you could find people in your own city, your own neighborhood, your own street, who you’ve never met before, who share your interests? And what if no third party could ever know unless you wanted them to?

What if it was your web server, email server, FTP server, and BitTorrent server? What if you could share files with the people around you, or the people across the globe, as easily as handing them a note? What if every piece of public information was a torrent, every piece of media downloaded from the beginning so you could use it immediately, and everything you wanted to download came from the most local source, automatically?

What if you could connect it to any other device, from a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, to a TV, DVD player, sound system, bluetooth headset, oven, fridge, lamp, ceiling fan, absolutely anything at all?

What if no one could spy on you, no one could wiretap you, no one could eavesdrop on you, no one could filter your services or interrupt your protcols? What if your business was your business and no one else’s? What if everything was encrypted, and everyone worked together, passing anonymous packets on to the next node, knowing only where it’s going, not who its from or what it is? And what if no one could possibly use yours, but you?

What if all these capabilities fit onto a single chip that cost pennies and only used a few watts of power, and could be put into every device that uses electricity – every home, every business, every car, every light bulb of every street lamp, and on the top of every electrical pole?

What if you had complete control over your own information and possessions?

What if I told you I know what technologies we need to use to build these devices? What if I could tell you how we can work together to achieve this?

What if?

What if you helped me make this a reality?

Imagine that.