Google-backed drones will drop library books to kids in SW Virginia(washingtonpost.com) |
Google-backed drones will drop library books to kids in SW Virginia(washingtonpost.com) |
This is immensely true of Appalachia in general (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_and_economic_stratifica...). Having done quite a number of roadtrips up and down I-81, the amount of destitution I've seen has never failed to break my heart. Nothing's ever changed for these people, and the foundational building blocks (infrastructure, education, etc) that they'd need in order to really climb out of poverty have been consistently delayed or disregarded.
Luck plays more of a factor here than in many other parts of the United States at escaping this loop, so programs like this are heartwarming to see in that they aim to give back as part of a broader goal to advance the state of tech.
Drone infrastructure and 5G are probably the two easiest shortcuts to get much of Appalachia equipped with much of what they need to catch up.
From this perspective, the fact that some people got together to try this isn't a surprise, it's certainly not idiocy, and being creative with existing skills and resources during a pandemic is far from a bad idea. More data and cred for drone folks, more cred and energy leverage for library folks, and more books and learning experiences for readers and learners.
Is this practical? Probably not. Is it kind of fun? Sure!
You with your immense home library of walls full of books can continue to do you.
fwiw, I hate ebooks for references because flipping around is pretty tough - but as someone who loves to travel and loves to read, being able to bring a single ebook reader has been life changing.
Sorry, but I really doubt this. Ebooks take zero space, are instantly shareable, and are somewhat* easy to search.
I hate reading on regular phone/laptop screens, but my kindle paperwhite is actually pretty nice for regular text. I like my bookshelf, but not accruing hundreds of pounds in books is also very nice.
We'll likely continue to see updates to e-ink/similar screens that make them more palatable.
* Actually for referencing material, I find physical books + bookmarks/tabstops are way easier than navigating stupid UIs. When I was learning Rust I had several sections of O'Reilly's Programming Rust bookmarked for quick reference. At least for separate software like amazon's app, etc. With a PDF indexer/parsing tool like Paperless searching is pretty painless, but you need to set it up and convert everything to an indexable format like pdf. Unless I'm doing something wrong.
i can see a pretty obvious way that could get even more press for Google’s corporate parent, since it would be an Alphabet firm doing it directly and not merely an outside but Google-supported firm.
> Doing “good things” just for better optics really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Dissing people for doing good things just because you've ascribed to them optics as their motive leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
More importantly, the optics here are not just about you and me and other adults. Think about it how it looks to a kid. You can have your library books show up in a van, and that might be fun, but if you could have a drone drop off your library books? What kid wouldn't sit around outside all day waiting for their books to arrive?
In the past they used to have book mobiles, and probably still do in some areas. It's a library in a van...not like a UPS delivery where you pick a book out online and you only get that book. A book mobile is where kids can go in the van, physically touch and feel books and choose one that excites them. They can talk to other kids, talk to the librarian...
At some point when drone delivery of books get boring, someone will need to invent teleportation just to get kids to read.
Appropriate tech in this case. They have delivered over a a hundred million books.
The cynical side of me, and I'm particularly cynical when it comes to Google, is that this kind of thing is nothing more than PR to try to normalize filling our skies with drones ("Look at the good they do!") so they can inevitably then fill the skies with crap to boost the consumerist appetite without much protest.
Side note, for once I am happy to be in Germany and not the US. Here Libraries are open. I go to the gym. Next week I even have a movie date at the local cinema.
That makes me think this is a long long way from being a self sustaining business.
It's good that cows are not flying...
Wait, Russians did that already https://youtu.be/QvRiXIfRsCw?t=28
Personally my three kids would have used this like crazy over the last couple months, when they were stuck with whatever they could check out before the local library closed. The drone delivery is a bonus but also it would have been the only way to get books. Aside from learning and enjoyment, the book-reading sessions are converted into AR test scores and classroom-by-classroom cumulative reading word counts, which are reasonably good motivators for many.
What?
Another reason why it makes sense to leverage the physical books.
The geography does pose a problem there. It's my understanding hardware on a cellular tower travels in a vertical beam, in addition to the more commonly understood horizontal beam. Altitude placement of towers is a factor as well. Altitude variance in those jagged mountains and rolling hills make for awful propagation. Radio/signals aren't my trade though, there's definitely somebody on HN who knows the specifics.
Happy to help if you want to email me.