Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

Project concept & implementation

• Commenters like the creativity of turning a Tasmota‑flashed smart bulb (ESP‑based) into a Wi‑Fi access point and web server hosting a small ebook library.
• Storage is highly constrained (≈4 MB), so the example library is tiny; some suggest boards like ESP32‑S3 with microSD for more space.
• The bulb uses a captive portal so phones will stay connected even without internet access.
• Matching the bulb’s color to the existing lighting is praised as a neat stealth touch.

Discovery, usability, and prior art

• Several note similarity to past “PirateBox” / “LibraryBox” projects: offline APs hosting file‑sharing forums.
• Multiple people tried PirateBox‑style setups and report almost no user engagement; users distrust open Wi‑Fi and expect internet, not local content.
• Others note that in enterprise environments, rogue AP detection and simple Wi‑Fi scanning can locate the bulb once someone is looking for it, though its innocuous form factor reduces initial suspicion.

“Banned books” terminology & US context

• Large subthread debates whether “banned book” is accurate in the US.
• One side: virtually no books are illegal to possess nationally; most “bans” are local school or library collection decisions, often about sexual content or perceived age inappropriateness. Calling these “banned” is seen as misleading or marketing.
• Other side: removal/restriction in schools and libraries, especially when driven by legislators or political campaigns, is meaningfully censorship; “banned” is used in that localized sense.
• Some point to historical US obscenity bans and to other countries where possession really is criminal.

Content choices and extremist texts

• The bundled examples are classic works (e.g., Twain, London, Lawrence) chosen because they’re public‑domain and previously banned/contested; users are expected to load their own material.
• Some complain this list is “safe,” arguing that truly controversial or currently suppressed works (including racist or white‑supremacist texts) would be more honest as “banned.”
• Others strongly reject including such material, arguing it would turn the device into a white‑supremacist library; counter‑voices emphasize adults’ right to read anything, but not necessarily to have it curated or promoted.

Free speech, information flow, and disinformation

• Longer, philosophical subthread riffs on “information wants to be free” and a game‑quote about free flow of information vs. tyranny.
• Participants note that today’s problem is not scarcity of information but abundance of propaganda and disinformation, algorithmic amplification, and “denial‑of‑service” attacks on attention.
• There’s tension between fears of censorship and concerns about harmful lies; some argue that “fighting disinformation” easily becomes justification for suppressing dissenting views.