Communicating in a networked world
By Tuesday, I had discovered that I could not both blog and really have quality time at the summit. So now that I’m posting this, the three day summit is over and the workshops have begun.
I have also volunteered to do a bunch of posting of AirJaldi resources – such as the videos from the sessions, presentations, and other resources. So it’s almost impossible for me to blog in real time now. [Read more…]
What’s the similarity between my blogging and wireless network access? [Answer at the bottom of this post]
Eric Brewer of the University of California, Berkeley, gave an interesting keynote presentation this morning, discussing wireless technology and a project supporting eye clinics that perform cataract operations in remote locations for approximately $10 per patient. The details will be available elsewhere online. One of the things Eric has done is to stretch the range of wi-fi greatly – currently tested to 60km, but they’re going to test at a range of 280km and there is no reason it shouldn’t work. This would be particularly important in India, where almost all people in the country reside within at least 80km of a network connection point – so if this could be bridged by wireless, it could be a big improvem ent in availability of access. [Read more…]
Today was the anniversary celebration for the Tibetan Children’s Villages – founded 46 years ago, at the request of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, to take care of Tibetan refugee children coming over the mountains to India, following China’s assertion of control over the Tibetan plateau. As I arrived on foot, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was speaking to the assembled crowd of many hundreds on the playing field at Upper TCV. In Tibetan, of course. I listened for a short while, and looked at the children arrayed across the playing field in colorful costumes, and then pressed on to the AirJaldi auditorium. Nawang Dorjee, education director of TCV was the first official speaker at AirJaldi and introduced us to the background of TCV (photo). [Read more…]
Of course I’m exaggerating! We did not trek the entire Himalayas – only the foothills near McLeod Ganj to see a few antennas. In fact it was quite civilized except for the appearance of rain showers and a few lightning strikes during the afternoon. We began from TCV, the site of all AirJaldi activites, and hiked up above the TCV and across an upper trail where we had great views of McLeod Ganj below and the entire valley way below us at times. Most of trekking was on narrow trails that follow water pipes. Water is extracted high on the hills and piped down to where it is used thus creating a natural pressure. It’s enough pressure to be perfectly usable. [Read more…]
I chose to ignore the call for “staff” to appear at 6:30am to begin set-up and from now on considered myself only a “guest” at this event. Even though in my way I’ve been doing everything I could to help since arriving here.
By 7:15 am I left the hotel and sauntered down the main street toward the taxi stand some distance away. The sun was struggling with the clouds, and barely winning. A few shopkeepers were beginning to raise their corrugated roll-up doors, but there was not much activity on the street yet. The few beggars were in their accustomed spots with cheerful faces and “good morning sir, how are you?” A couple of food shops and stands were opening. I reached the square and there was one three-wheeler taxi still there. What I thought was really cool was that every taxi driver without exception had a mouthful of toothpaste that he was scrubbing with a toothbrush and spitting out onto the street – simultaneously as if the urge had hit all of them at the same time. More than any other reaction I would just say that this amused me to no end – I almost broke out laughing – or perhaps I though it was a scene from a 1950’s musical where they were all about to break into song and dance! [Read more…]