In 1996, my wife and I went on a cross-country trip, driving to New Orleans and then all the way to California, before we returned to Ottawa.<\/p>\n
One novelty during this trip was that we had a cell phone. That was a brand new experience.<\/p>\n
Not only that, I had an analog cell phone modem. With that modem, I was able to connect to my server here in Ottawa and even get my e-mail!<\/p>\n
Of course, cellular reception was patchy. Once we reached less populated parts of the United States in the west, there was cell phone coverage near population centers but not elsewhere. Still… being connected was an experience. And it was during this trip that we briefly stopped at a parking lot near a secondary highway, and noticed a small sign at the edge of the lot: AT&T was warning contractors to call before digging, marking an optical cable underground. Data! The Internet! That was a serious wow moment.<\/p>\n
But all that was 26 years ago. Today I am reading something else: Tanzania is installing<\/a> Internet service on Mount Kilimanjaro. I wonder if that involves both peaks:<\/p>\n