The Container

The Container Project

Palmer's Cross, Clarendon, Jamaica, April/May 2003.

The Container is a project to develop a community computing centre in an ISO container. The Jamaican-based project aims to 'repatriate technology' by giving people access to information technologies, and the skills to manipulate them, to serve their own purposes – for example, developing their own digital media.

Paul Mobbs, the geek who has designed systems for both the Community–Linux Training Centre and the new Salvage Server projects, and worked in Jamaica during April and early May to assist the project – with the financial support of Media Arts Projects. This provides his feedback from the development of The Container project in Jamaica.

For more information see The Container web site at: http://www.container-project.net/

Audio and video from The Container

• "Computers in Cross" – the video
  A 3min 44sec video that mixes a performance by 'The Weblink Crew' at the launch of The Container, with video taken during the installation of the computer systems. Available as a 2.8 megabyte Real Movie file (download to your hard disk and view locally).
  
  
• "Computers in Cross" – the soundtrack
  The audio from the Weblink Crew's performance, available as a 2.7 megabyte MP3 file.
  
  

Picture-Reports from The Container

Note, each of the reports contains around 100 kilobytes of pictures, so they might take a few minutes to download on slow connections.

• First report, 16^th April
  Arriving in Jamaica, and the first day at 'The Container'.
  
  
• Second report, 17^th April
  More work on The Container, and the first system is installed.
  
  
• Third report, 19^th April
  Beginning to put the computer systems together.
  
  
• Fourth report, 22^nd April
  Getting somewhere, but users start getting in the way!
  
  
• Fifth report, 23^rd/24^th April
  Getting somewhere, but users start getting in the way!
  
  
• Sixth report, 25^th April
  Making progress on installation, and Camille and Mike arrive
  
  
• Seventh report, 26^th April
  Activities in The Container increase
  
  
• Eighth report, 27^th-29^th April
  Countdown to the launch – almost finished
  
  
• Ninth report, 30^th April, The Launch
  The Container is HERE!
  
  
• Final report, 1^st to 5^th May
  The last five days in Jamaica
  
  

Coverage

• Linux Magazine Article on The Container (image)
  
  

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