Hackerspace Project: Build a PirateBox or LibraryBox

pbx1Arrrr Matey! Are you looking for a cool project for your makerspace/hackerspace? Look no further then Alex Byrne’s post from CCGC in Libraries about PirateBoxs or LibraryBoxs.

What’s a PirateBox/LibraryBox you ask? From Byrne: “The primary stated purpose… is to provide a way for people to access files without needing to communicate with an Internet or network server to get to those files.” So instead of swapping USB drives to move content from computer to computer, or being dependent on the internet or a network, you can use one of these Boxes!

Both of the Boxes take an inexpensive router, a USB flash drive, and a little know-how around the use of a Secure SHell (SSH) session to set up.

Byrne suggests using them to offer free or public-domain electronic books, or even “planted in your Makerspace, it could become a place where works-in-progress are stored.” Might we suggest using it to store all of your Pirates of the Caribbean fan fiction. Check out the LibraryBox video: