by Glen Roscovich
So-called “High Technology” is such a slut. What do you want, big boy? Do you want to talk to whoever, wherever, whenever you want? No problem – the beta version might be a little expensive and break down too often but just wait- the next generation is just a click away…and cheap, cheap, cheap!
Music?! How about anytime, all the time, right in your head, loud as hell? You got it!
What do you want? Just tell us. We’ll get it for you. Dream it up – you can have it all!
Ooops, sorry. I was just thinking that maybe these extremist fundamental religious sects might have a point. All this shameless pandering to desires we didn’t even know we had is blinding us to the debris trail in its wake.
Effects of the wireless mania that is engulfing our world are poorly understood. Convenience trumps all. Health impacts of holding a transmitter to the side of young heads, our heads, for extended periods of time are not something we like to think about. The increasing clutter of our electromagnetic environment should be a source of concern.
We are electric beings. The currents that energize our thoughts and vital processes are subtle, varied and not well documented. How much research do you think the wireless and cell phone industries have done into the wider and combined impacts of their technologies?.... and how eager do you think they would be to warn us of suspected dangers? Frequencies emitted by the increasing barrage of electrical devices can’t help but overlap and interfere with the currents that animate life itself.
It is hard to argue with the convenience of breaking free of the wires that restrict our freedom of movement in relation to our electronics, but convenience at what cost? We, as a society, have become so hypnotized by the ability of high tech to fulfill our wildest dreams that we seem to assume that it is our right to have whatever we can imagine in the way of electronic toys. Read more »
by Glen Roscovich
An amazing feat of technology is rapidly becoming just another household appliance enabling a new approach to rural and remote lifestyles. Back-to-the-landers of previous generations would drool with envy at being able to consult Google, the great oracle of our age, when faced with the tribulations of life outside the embrace of urban utilities.
If knowledge is indeed power, the Internet gives us access to more power than we know what to do with.
Two-way, satellite-based, high speed Internet service allows us to live and work anywhere we choose. One of my customers is able to live in a tent on a nearby island as he manages the technical aspects of a massive data-storage facility in Colorado. Many operate on-line businesses, monitor stock markets, run web sites, do research, write, or keep in touch with their regular business while hanging out at remote cabins. Applications are limited only by the ingenuity of the customer.
If you can generate enough power to operate an ordinary light bulb, you can have high speed Internet and dial-up telephone service independent of the wired grid. Equipment required consists of a small satellite dish fitted with a transmitter/receiver unit and Ethernet modem. This unit relays signals with a satellite in geo-stationary orbit 38,000 kilometers above the equator. The addition of a router and Voice-Over-IP telephone adapter to the system means that you can plug in an ordinary telephone that will operate independently of the computer.
This capability won’t cripple a strained budget. Recent price cuts make the satellite gear available under $300. Combined telephone and Internet service can be had as low $80 per month. Professional installation is required.