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Proof positive that Wi Fi mesh is here to stay

American Biophysics, a small private company based in North Kingstown, R.I., runs a healthy business selling the "Mosquito Magnet," a system to rid American backyards of biting insects ...Simply described, the magnet emits a humanlike scent that includes carbon dioxide and moisture to attract bloodsucking insects. When the bugs flutter past, they're sucked into and suffocated by a vacuumlike device. Wi-Fi mosquito killer coming to a porch near you

OK, so what do mosquitoes have to do with muncipal broadband? At least, that's what I asked when I saw this. This article describes how innovative types are networking these devices with wireless mesh to help them contain mosquitoes in a large outdoor area - think golf course or refugee camp. Your nuisance at a picnic becomes someone else's life-or-death hassle - mosquitoes carry death-dealing viruses in the Third World and they are, in my opinion, one of the banes of outdoor living. Move over Citronella candles, here come Wi Fi mosquito magnets.

When I was a kid, I lived in Labrador, in remote northeastern Canada and the bugs were horrendous in the summertime. I can remember airplanes that came in the summer evenings to spray DDT over our neighborhood - no doubt those summers will shorten my life at some point - but that fog we breathed in as we rode around on our bikes kept the black flies and mosquitoes at bay. If this high tech solution that incorporates Wi Fi will help mankind in its war against mosquitoes, we should expect Wi Fi mesh to gain even more new supporters.

This is fun - I'm sure there will be more wierd applications using Wi Fi, but this one is the winner in my book so far!

Posted on November 21, 2005 at 09:10 PM

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