TCP/IP over Bongo Drums

Michael500 writes "In an attempt to show that primitive communications can still function in modern networks, a friend of mine took up a challenge from his professor to replace the lowest layer of the OSI networking model with a set of bongo drums!"

Two drums for 1 and 0?

[Max Romantschuk]

With two drums one could do binary transmission quite easily. When adding time-based stuff even more complex patterns could be achieved.

From the article: Whats the point you may ask? We aren't trying to set any speed records here (actually, we have been developing some ideas for "highspeed" bongos), but rather we're showing that the lower layers of the OSI model can be replaced with any form of media without affecting the layers above it.

Now I wonder... when will someone actually do TCP/IP over smoke signals?

Apart from obvious decoding and wind issues, it should work just as well!

TCP/IP Over Morse Code

[bangzilla]

I actually implemented TCP/IP using a morse code connection many years ago. The morse code was generated, transmitted, captured and decyphered automatically -- and it ran quite swifty (swiftly here being a *very* relative term). You could actually listen into the transmision with a loudspeaker -- it souded quite suprisingly different from a analog modem "squeal" just prior to connection. Must see if I can did out the design and implementation notes and sling them online. (Also considered TCP/IP over wet string using tin-cans as the Tx and Rx devices. Came up with some quite entertaining math -- but it never got past the "let's have another beer" stage.....)

An anecdote I use often in class...

[JRHelgeson]

I often teach computer classes where I talk about how flexible the TCP/IP protocol is. I would say that you could make TCP/IP run over smoke signals if you wanted.

Looks like now I can use Bongo Drums and show them the article. This is great...

Cool article.

[mondoterrifico]

I graduated in the spring with Dan. I was in that class and the demonstration was pretty nifty( if somewhat lost on some of the less enthusiastic students). Dan is a smart kid and professor Townsend was one of the cooler more accesible profs in computer science. I talked with dan over a year ago about submitting this to Slashdot, so it's very cool to see.
Kudos to Dan, and i imagine Tack was very unpleased with the sudden increase in traffic :) It is somehow gratifying to see your former school get Slashdotted.