This Cyberdeck Was Built to Help the Owner Survive an Apocalypse
The real danger of an apocalypse would be a lack of information and Skylarmt’s cyberdeck can provide relief.
Who among us hasn’t laid in bed at night planning/fantasizing about how we might survive an apocalypse? Of course, that plan should vary wildly based on the kind of apocalypse you’re dealing with. Preparations for a nuclear winter probably won’t look much like those put in place to mow down zombie hordes. But no matter the situation, it is likely that you’ll lose access to the internet and all of its information that would be super helpful in the end times. To survive just a little bit longer, Skylarmt built this rugged cyberdeck.
Unlike most of the cyberdecks we feature, this was built for action instead of aesthetics. In fact, Skylarmt doesn’t even call it a cyberdeck—though we certainly will. It is a complete workstation designed to withstand the harsh conditions of a SHTF scenario and provide information, networking, radio, and navigation through the end of the world. It is pretty bulky, but should still be small enough to strap onto a motorcycle or throw into the back seat of whatever vehicle scratches your Mad Max-shaped itch.
Skylarmt built this device around a Lenovo Thinkcentre Tiny PC, which is an x86 computer that should be more versatile than the Arm-based single-board computers (SBCs) that we normally see in cyberdecks. While they’ve come along way, SBCs like Raspberry Pis aren’t compatible with as much software as x86 PCs are. By using the Thinkcentre Tiny, Skylarmt was able to ensure that he’d be able to run any software he might need. That includes a GPS navigation based on downloaded maps of the entire world. As long as the GPS satellites are still orbiting up in space and functional, Skylarmt will be able to make his way across the wasteland.
That PC fits inside a hardshell carrying case and runs Debian Linux. Other hardware in the case includes a 1080p HDMI display, a Logitech wireless keyboard/trackpad combo, a GPS receiver, an OpenWRT LTE/WiFi router and Ethernet switch, an SDR (Software-Defined Radio) dongle, and even a handy little LED work light.
The networking capability may seem like an odd choice for a device intended for use as the human race succumbs to our inevitable self-destruction, but it is actually quite sensible. The lone wanderer is a fantasy trope. In real life, people group together for survival. By including robust networking hardware, Skylarmt will be able to share his resources with others. This cyberdeck will be able to host content and share it, giving his fellow survivors access to valuable information and even software via a complete mirror of Debian’s package manager archives.