Ricochet modems == wireless LAN?

Slashdot:: “Metricom, purveyor of Ricochet wireless networking, died today . I understand that, sans infrastructure, a Ricochet wireless modem can call another Ricochet modem, and that modem-to-modem range is nearly a mile. Is the hardware this company leaves behind a viable solution for a really cool, really cheap wireless LAN?”