I am a producer, but in order to produce, I am also a consumer of raw and semi-raw materials.

Often, I can recycle those raw materials (I pick up used instruments and audio gear, I repair old computers) or I will soon be able to do so (I want to get a grinder and an extruder for turning failed prints in to new filament, for example.)

We live in an age of abundance. There are millions of blank CDs and DVDs out there. We could stop making them for a while, and be okay with the overstock.

But eventually, the Overstock won't be enough.

We need to be able to make CD-Rs in our basements. We need community owned CPU factories.

The Raspberry Pi enables me to make All Kinds! Of Neat Things! but it depends on an international shipping infrastructure and the goodwill of several corporations.

We need a community made pi. We need a #comrade64

But see, even that leaves out the fact that current computer chips come out of a massive industry of mining and manufacturing.

There is so much money changing hands. And so many precious and valuable resources that we are running out of. And the human cost is enormous. Even if we manage to get a community/public owned chip foundry, we're left relying on and exploiting the existing capitalist infrastructure for collecting raw materials. (Think of the human cost.)

And we've made So Many of these things already. How many of you have more CPUs than people in your home? (Most of you, if not all of you.)

I have my laptop, two tablets, my phone, my server, my projector, my TV, my gameboy, the router, my microwave, and even my coffee maker has a CPU in it, etc.

Not to mention the dozens of discarded machines I've adopted. The Pentium 4, with it's 4GB of ram that only gets booted when I need to test something on Windows XP.

We throw away cell phones all the time. I probably have four or five that are 5-7 years old.

Old android devices that are hardly good for anything anymore, just gathering dust in a drawer.

And Cellphone recycling? It's a joke. So much human labor, so many places for people to get hurt, or to get it wrong.

The Social revolution will require CPUs. Will require computers. Will require technology. But we're going to have to find new ways to do those things. (And that won't be easy!)

A lot of tech problems could be solved if there was a requirement for companies to either ship devices with open bootloaders, or open the bootloaders of their devices after a specific amount time.

We should be able to open up our devices, and change them to our specifications.

Is there a good reason my old android phones aren't already running a custom, mesh networked, web server OS, and seeking out other devices with same to form a community internet alternative?

@ajroach42 Alternatively, what're the options fo DIY / build it yorself mibile or portable systems?

There is literally nothing in the market as appeals to me.

@ajroach42 Raspberry Pi does seem to be the go-to right now.

Arduino and Sokris (recently departed) as well.

@dredmorbius

I guess you mean only Soekris has stopped production, not Arduino (gave me a bit of a fright there, I'm aware of the in fighting about Arduino IP but didn't think they'd quit completely!)

A shame though that market forces/lack of skills/resources have once again done for what was a decent European electronics supplier; even if the equipment was a slightly higher price..

@ajroach42