I’ve often wondered why government disaster agencies and non-governmental relief organizations don’t have a box they can drop into a disaster area to provide connectivity and other vital services. After all, the sun was shining brightly on New Orleans while the waters were rising.

It seems such a thing does exist. Jamais Cascio provides a description of components that add up to power via solar and other sources, satellite telephone, satellite Internet access, WIFI Internet, and water purification. Pack the other parts along with some food into SkyBuilt Power’s Mobile Power Station and drop by parachute: instant relief in a box!

Now to make lots of things like this much smaller and cheaper so you can litter the landscape with them, and make them find each other and build an Internet mesh….

-jsq