Sneakernet

Sneakernet provides a volunteer-run postal service to the EMF campsite. Use the postboxes dotted around the site to send a postcard to anyone on site or to the outside world!

Delivery is best effort and not guaranteed. Messages are unencrypted and may be read by carriers. All communications must follow the Electromagnetic Field Code of Conduct.

Sending a postcard

To the campsite

To a person

When addressing postcards to a specific person, it is helpful to include some way of tracking them down, such as an internal phone number, village, etc.

To a village

Postcards can be delivered to any village that can be found on the map. For villages not yet listed on the map, please ask the village admin (the person who registered the village) to log in to the website, go to the map, and use the plus button to add the village location.

Village names must not contain punctuation to avoid errors in our highly advanced computer systems. (/jk)

To the future

Thanks to innovations in flux capacitance, postcards can also be sent to future occurrences of Electromagnetic Field. Remember to think ahead to what we might need in order to find your recipient in the future!

To anyone!

You can also send a postcard to non-specific person, such as ‘person with cool hair’, ‘a volunteer’. We'll do our best to find a suitable recipient.

To the outside world

Postcards addressed to outside the camp require an appropriate stamp. Postcards within the UK require a 1st or 2nd Class stamp, while international postcards require a £2.50 stamp. See the Royal Mail pricing guide for more information.

Stamps for both UK and international postage can be purchased from the shop.

Sending a fax

In collaboration with CuTel, you can send a fax to anyone on the campsite.

Follow the instructions on the CuTel wiki to send a Telemessage!

Delivering a postcard

Visit the Info Tent and pick up a couple of the postcards in the outbound box (directly in front of you from the entrance), see if you can deliver them!

Experimental Postcodes

Postcards addressed to villages (or other fixed locations) may end up with a "postcode" of sorts scribbled next to the stamp, meant to make it easier to identify nearby destinations for those inclined to make multiple deliveries in one go.

For example, the postcode SE-F or SE-F-NW would mean:

SE = South East of the campsite.
F = Field F.
NW = North West within Field F.

This system is experimental, and feedback is much appreciated!

Statistics

We nearly ran out of postcards (2,000 of each of the two EMF2024 designs)
Faxes received: 6
Cans of spam delivered: 4
Badge extended warranty sold: 2
Unique games of Naughts and Crosses seen: 3
Club Mate bottles delivered: 2
Postcards to spiders: 1
Postcards to ducks: 1
Postcards to sharks: 5
Postcards to EMF 2025?: 1
Postcards to EMF 2026: 27
Postcards to WHY: 4
Postcards to 38c3: 2
Postcards to Bornhack: 1
That same coconut delivered: 9 times (was eventually given to NOC as they needed more fibre)
Distance walked by Scarlet: 45km
Volunteers: Countless (Thank you!)

We delivered many thank you postcards to HQ, POC, NOC, the creche, first aid, and entrance security.

Ideas for what to send

A thank you to a volunteer.
A thank you to the organisers.
A thank you to a speaker.
A poem to a random person.
A note to a friend.
A love letter to an enemy.
A warning to your future self.
The entire script of The Bee Movie.