Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mount Everest Gets 3G Service

Posted by samzenpus on from the yeti-bell dept.

bossanovalithium writes "It's what every mountaineer wants when they reach the summit of Mount Everest: a 3G high-speed communication. Those who have trekked to the top will soon able to call their mates, go on Facebook or Twitter, and boast that they got there thanks to TeliaSonera and its subsidiary in Nepal, Ncell, which have brought 3G to the Mount Everest area. Climbers who reached Everest's 8,848-meter-high peak previously depended on expensive and erratic satellite phone coverage and a voice-only network set up by China Mobile in 2007 on the Chinese side of the mountain."

150 comments

  1. It's true! by bennomatic · · Score: 1

    I'm posting from there right now. So... very...cold...

    --
    The CB App. What's your 20?
    1. Re:It's true! by boristdog · · Score: 2, Funny

      Let your loved ones hear you freeze to death!

    2. Re:It's true! by Defenestrar · · Score: 1

      I've got a message from your boss: the [complicated work thing] is down and you need to be back at the office right away. The stern lecture about being slow to respond to the [truthfully trivial] emergency that would have been weathered fine without you should heat you up good and plenty.

      And you thought mountaineering was a "safe" hobby.

      Wireless internet in the wilderness: now making sure work can follow you "home" even when you aren't there.

    3. Re:It's true! by Gizzmonic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You joke, but I remember when I watched an IMAX documentary on Mt. Everest. One of the guys had climbed it several times, but he messed up and got stuck somewhere halfway up where he would definitely freeze or starve to death. He left behind his pregnant wife, and they played some of their last conversation. After the final conversation, the narrator called the guy a hero. I remember that pissing me off even as a kid. How can someone who pointlessly risks his life when he has responsibilities to a wife and child be called a hero? People who climb Mt. Everest aren't heroes, they're thrillseekers who border on suicidal. Which is fine, but let's be honest about it.

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    4. Re:It's true! by Shakrai · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He left behind his pregnant wife, and they played some of their last conversation. After the final conversation, the narrator called the guy a hero. I remember that pissing me off even as a kid. How can someone who pointlessly risks his life when he has responsibilities to a wife and child be called a hero?

      Am a I heartless bastard if the first thought that crossed my mind was "Damn, he successfully passed on his genes before dying of gross stupidity"? I'd suggest a Darwin award but the idiot managed to reproduce before he kicked the bucket.

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    5. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Somehow, I think if one has the financial backing to be able to afford to climb the mountain, the cost of cell phone service is one of the least of their considerations.

    6. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We do that all the time. We call slain police officers and soldiers "heroes", when really they aren't. They have dangerous jobs and working a dangerous job means that you run a higher than normal risk of injury or death. They get extra pay and extra benefits (police pension, G.I. bill education, etc) to help compensate for the additional risk. Sure, their deaths are tragic and sad and usually unnecessary, but that doesn't make them heroes.

      I only consider someone to be a hero when they go above and beyond. For example, a guy off the street who runs into a burning building to save someone is showing heroism in my book.

      I find the overuse of the word "hero" just as annoying as every time there's a natural disaster and thousands of people die, but one child survives, everyone starts calling it a "miracle". A miracle would be if we never had natural disasters. Or if we had a giant earthquake and *not one person* died.

    7. Re:It's true! by harrkev · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They ARE heroes. They know that they could die in the line of duty, and they do what has to be done anyways (extra pay does not matter). We need policemen and firemen (anybody who suggests otherwise just needs to look no further than Somalia). We do NOT have to have mountain climbers to function as a society. I admire their bravery, but mountain climbers are doing it for themselves and as such are not heroes.

      --
      "-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
    8. Re:It's true! by slapout · · Score: 0

      I would call anyone who is willing to risk their life for me a hero. And that is exactly what police, fireman and soldiers do every day.

      --
      Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
    9. Re:It's true! by dtml-try+MyNick · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, these are people that want to probe the boundaries and limits of their world, want to explore, excel and stretch their own limitations. These are most likely the types that actually will become true heroes if the situation would call for it.

      If the guy climbed mt Everest several times than he and his wife were fully aware of the risks involved. About 1 in 10 climbers die on that mountain I think. So if she got pregnant she was fully aware that her husband had a decent chance of never returning.

      They made choice, who are you to judge them about that?

      --
      Life starts at the end of your comfort zone.
    10. Re:It's true! by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, they're not "heroes." They're doing their job. A "hero," is a person who willingly throws themselves into mortal danger for the benefit of another. I think, for example, about Lenny Skutnik, the bystander who, in January 1982 leapt into an ice-choked Potomac River to help save the life of a passenger from the wreckage of Air Florida Flight 90. Actually there were at least three other heroes in the Flight 90 saga: Helicopter pilot Donald Usher, bystander Roger Olian and of course Arland Williams Jr., who drowned in the freezing river after repeatedly passing life lines to other passengers. Someone who rescues another mountain climber, at the risk of their own life, could also be considered a 'hero.'

    11. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find the overuse of the word "hero" just as annoying as every time there's a natural disaster and thousands of people die, but one child survives, everyone starts calling it a "miracle". A miracle would be if we never had natural disasters. Or if we had a giant earthquake and *not one person* died.

      That one thing could be more of a miracle does not preclude a lesser miracle.

      And really, a lot of fire men, police officers and soldiers do go above and beyond, even more so than their fellows.

    12. Re:It's true! by Oligonicella · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Read the dictionary, you are incorrect.

    13. Re:It's true! by dtml-try+MyNick · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Am a I heartless bastard if the first thought that crossed my mind was "Damn, he successfully passed on his genes before dying of gross stupidity"? I'd suggest a Darwin award but the idiot managed to reproduce before he kicked the bucket.

      Let's see, the physical strength and stamina to climb one of the toughest mountains on earth several times, not to mention the mental fitness, flexibility and willpower one needs in large quantities in order to do something like that.

      I'd say his genes were top of the bill really

      Funny you mention Darwin though.. .
      The guy traveled around the world, visiting remote deserted places for years at a time in a era where such voyages were still the equivalent of playing Russian roulette. Also gross stupidity?

      --
      Life starts at the end of your comfort zone.
    14. Re:It's true! by sznupi · · Score: 1

      It's very easy to find situations / areas that would call for true heroism...

      And while people can easily say they are conscious of certain risk, there's always the effect of hoping how I will cheat it.

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    15. Re:It's true! by sosaited · · Score: 1

      Well the word Hero shouldn't be just reserved for people who apparently do something selfless, or violent/inhumane acts in the name of the country or religion.

      It takes a great deal of courage to even think of putting yourself through this much hardship, and even a greater deal of courage to do so while having wife and kid. For me, this qualifies as a Hero as well. And on a side-note, where would the world be without people trying to do seemingly impossible things just because it was their dream or downright silly at the moment

    16. Re:It's true! by misexistentialist · · Score: 1

      There is a lot of thrill-seeking involved in those jobs too. Not to say there isn't the chance of heroism like the rescuers at the WTC...but there is also the chance that they do more harm than good in pursuing glory.

    17. Re:It's true! by kenj0418 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I read "He left behind his pregnant wife" and my first thoughts were - "Damn that's heartless of him" and "WTF was she doing climbing Everest if she was pregnant anyway?"

    18. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It seems as if you are referring to the 1996 Mt Everest Disaster, and specifically the New Zealander Rob Hall, who along with 8 other people, all died on the mountain on day in May. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Everest_disaster

      I also watched that same IMAX documentary, and I think they referred to him as a hero, because he stayed behind on the descent to help a couple of slow climbers, and then got caught by a fast moving storm. While I disagree with you on the suicidal comment, it certainly seems as if some people climb when they most definitely shouldn't, due to lack of fitness or whatever... I guess some people like to spend big, and grossly underestimate the dangers of such a feat.

    19. Re:It's true! by Gizzmonic · · Score: 2, Insightful

      These are most likely the types that actually will become true heroes if the situation would call for it.

      And you know this how? 'Probing the boundaries of reality'? Please. His single motivating factor was pride, plain and simple. He wasn't probing the boundaries of reality any more than the woman who died from water poisoning in an attempt to win a Wii game console.

      They made choice, who are you to judge them about that?

      Wait, I'm confused. You just got done telling me that this guy is a hero because he recklessly risked his life. But you're telling me not to judge him? Yes, he made a choice: a terrible choice that had tragic consequences for himself and his family. Again, not unlike the woman who died drinking too much water in order to win a Wii. Why isn't she a hero?

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    20. Re:It's true! by barzok · · Score: 1

      You're talking about Rob Hall. May 1996 was a very bad month on Everest. I'm not sure how to feel about Hall - he was a very accomplished climber and guide, and was very conscious of safety concerns.

      However, on that expedition, he had a client with him who had previously attempted Everest with him, and they were unable to make the summit. Hall pressed forward in 1996, hell-bent on getting that client to the summit to make up the previous failure, completely ignoring his 2 PM "point of no return" deadline - all climbers in his group were to turn back & return to the high camp regardless of where they were on the mountain, but he kept pushing forward instead.

      I don't want to ever hear that conversation. If you want to read first-hand accounts of what happened that year, read Into Thin Air (I hate Krakauer; that book is more like first-and-a-half account, because Krakauer spent a lot of time in his tent) and The Climb (co-written Anatoly Boukareev, who had summited w/o supplemental Oxygen and then went back out to rescue people), and what he wrote is why I don't like Krakauer). It's haunting.

      The IMAX crew helped with the rescue effort for several of the climbers who got caught out in that storm that blew in that day and summited later in the month. Those guys are the heroes.

    21. Re:It's true! by Gizzmonic · · Score: 1

      It takes a great deal of courage to even think of putting yourself through this much hardship, and even a greater deal of courage to do so while having wife and kid. For me, this qualifies as a Hero as well.

      And if he was skydiving without a parachute? Would you consider that heroic as well?

      And on a side-note, where would the world be without people trying to do seemingly impossible things just because it was their dream or downright silly at the moment

      What a sappy thing to say. One person's dream might be educating the poor. Another's might be coating himself in bear grease and singing the soundtrack to Grease at a City Council Meeting. All dreams are not created equally, friend.

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    22. Re:It's true! by Wiarumas · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A hero is someone who throws themselves into mortal danger for the benefit of another. PERIOD. It doesn't say compensation is a dis-qualifier. I agree that not all cops, firemen, etc are heroes by default, but their profession does allow them to go above and beyond for another human being. A patrol cop handing out parking tickets is not a hero, but the fireman who saves a little girl from a burning building who would have otherwise died is. He put himself at risk and saved another. Sure, it might be his job, but it doesn't lessen the risk of him dying to save someone else.

      --
      I will bend like a reed in the wind.
    23. Re:It's true! by sznupi · · Score: 0, Redundant

      They are not even in the top10 of most dangerous jobs, by fatality rates; but I'm sure they like the attention brought on them thanks to this fact remaining obscure.

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    24. Re:It's true! by Peeteriz · · Score: 1

      Ergo, the mountain climber is no hero, as he throws himself into mortal danger only for the benefit of his ego.

    25. Re:It's true! by sznupi · · Score: 1

      Cops, firemen, etc. are not even in the top10 of most dangerous jobs by mortality rates.

      By your standard, the level of heroism of loggers (doing the job for other people, so they can have all the wood they need - in the past warmth saving from disease and death, now construction material (which must be safe) or paper (for education or functioning of public services - think how many deaths were saved by information kept on those pieces of paper)), fishermen (so other people will have food, won't starve) or construction workers of various kinds (so other people will have safe buildings to live in, work in, play in; roads to drive on, et al.) - dwarfs what cops, firemen, etc. are doing.

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    26. Re:It's true! by pckl300 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A miracle would be if we never had natural disasters. Or if we had a giant earthquake and *not one person* died.

      Isn't that what happened with the Chilean miners? I don't think there were any deaths... that's pretty miraculous.

      --
      In the beginning, there was null.
    27. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      > "They get extra pay and benefits..."
      I can't speak to the Police pay and benefits, but as a retired USAF E-6 I can speak to military pay & benefits. Military pay is just above the poverty level. As a 15 year NCO in California, I qualified for subsidized housing. Living was paycheck to paycheck and any unanticipated expense (and some of the anticipated ones) were a financial disaster.
      Yes, I "retired" after 20 years (while remaining part of the reserve forces for the privilege), but not with anywhere near enough money to actually live on, so I started a second career at the age of 39.
      Those of us who have served long years aren't in it for the money - trust me on that.

    28. Re:It's true! by sznupi · · Score: 1

      If only during the time the Chilean miners were trapped, an order of magnitude more miners wouldn't die worldwide...

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    29. Re:It's true! by Mongoose+Disciple · · Score: 1

      Eh. I'd call a non-corrupt cop who works in a legitimately high violent crime area a hero. Your random suburban cop, or cop that abuses their authority? Not so much.

      Like any job that provides power, you're going to get both good people who legitimately want to use that power to make the lives of those around them better and douchebags who just wanted the power. I don't think being able to regard the former as a hero necessitates that I should have to do the same for the latter.

    30. Re:It's true! by djupdal · · Score: 1

      Policemen and firemen do not have a risky workday, at least not in Norway (see [1]). There are much more deaths and other accidents among farmers than policemen.

      Another thing: A society also need people who do extreme things in remote places. When they get back, they can tell about their adventures to the rest of us and show us of how far humans can go in extreme situations. They push limits. That can be a positive thing, even if the situations they seek have no direct utillity value for the society.

      [1] http://www.ssb.no/emner/02/02/10/rapp_200905/rapp_200905.pdf

    31. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm here laughing my a$$ off thinking of a pregnant woman climbing the Everest....

    32. Re:It's true! by sosaited · · Score: 1

      Skydiving without a parachute will be similar to climbing Mount Everest while being in just jeans and t-shirt without anything else. I am sure he didn't do this.

      Of course not all dreams are equal, but downplaying someone's courage because he pursued a dream which is a bit too dangerous and pointless to you is not fair either IMHO. And that was my whole point.

    33. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck you

    34. Re:It's true! by Bob-taro · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How can someone who pointlessly risks his life when he has responsibilities to a wife and child be called a hero?

      I'm not comfortable deciding what is "pointless" for someone else. I wonder what his wife and child thought of it? Some would say that sending men to the moon was a pointless risk.

      --
      Prov 9:8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.
    35. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not about the job being dangerous, it's about risking their lives for others.

    36. Re:It's true! by Transkaren · · Score: 1

      There's a difference. Loggers, Fishermen, etc are doing what they realize is a dangerous job in order to get the benefits, and are wagering that the random chance of injury won't strike them. With a logger or fisherman, there's a chance of a problem - significant, but a chance. It could happen to anyone. They're basically gambling. Police and Firemen are doing a dangerous job that places them in the line of fire, and are fully cognizant that the job is dangerous specifically because they may be called upon to sacrifice their life for the lives of others. They are making the choice not to gamble, but to be willing to do what is necessary.

      --
      -If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
    37. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have to put public servants in dangerous jobs like that of Policemen, Firemen, and servicemen in the category of hero. Just because they get paid to be a hero does not diminish the fact that they are putting their life on the line for the rest of us.

    38. Re:It's true! by xouumalperxe · · Score: 1

      You joke, but I remember when I watched an IMAX documentary on Mt. Everest.

      Wow, I didn't know they'd built an IMAX all the way up there!

    39. Re:It's true! by sznupi · · Score: 1

      "Placing them in the line of fire" - well, the thing is it demonstrably doesn't do that, or at least far less than for many other occupations.

      Don't just repeat the myth, always stressed by police officials and their family members, attached to any news about death of a cop or fireman. Don't you see how it is in their best interest to propagate it? (dealing with grief or indeed influencing the perception of the institution / public relations)

      All the while you are so dismissive of motivations of loggers, fisherman, etc. (what, do you think they don't know their accident rates? Do you think a random policeman doesn't wager that the chance of injury won't strike him?); it's at least inconsistent.

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    40. Re:It's true! by sznupi · · Score: 1

      By that you just said to all those with jobs in top10 that what they do (while risking their life more than police, fireman and soldiers) is worthless to the society.

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    41. Re:It's true! by flyingkillerrobots · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't think strength and stamina can be considered 'fit' traits anymore. The caveman days are over.

      The best definition of Darwinian 'fitness' I have ever come across is the expected value of the total fitness in one's offspring. This is defined recursively, until the heat death, Armageddon, Resurrection, or however else life as we know it will end, you take your pick, much like a search tree for a game of checkers. As a consequence, in any Western society, where death is increasingly rare before sexual maturity, the only real measure of fitness, other than some sort of fatal gene, is how much offspring one wants to produce. Strength, stamina, mental fitness, flexibility and willpower are barely factors anymore.

      The scary part is given that most developed countries have birthrates below replacement, there may be something inherently unfit about Western society as a whole. Haredi Jews are the most fit people in the world.

      --
      "It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations..." -Winston Churchill
    42. Re:It's true! by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      Physical attributes. The most important!

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    43. Re:It's true! by Threni · · Score: 1

      Cool. Now if Orange could just provide coverage for..oh, I don't know... CENTRAL FUCKING LONDON then that would be great.

    44. Re:It's true! by Transkaren · · Score: 1

      I think I was a little unclear. A logger, fisherman, etc has a chance of becoming injured or killed due to effectively random circumstances. Yes, they are educated, but down at their core they don't believe it can happen to them - similar to people that buy lottery tickets for investment purposes. A heroic policeman or fireman, on the other hand, knows that they have a statistically significant chance of dying by performing their job, but doesn't back down when the chips are down. I wouldn't characterize all cops as being heroes - just the ones that actually perform heroic actions. Take for example a policeman that involves himself in a shootout: It takes a little bit of hero to not back down to the impulse of "I don't want to get shot, I'm just going to wait around this corner." - similarly, I'd characterize the people running into a burning building - not a minor blaze, but the kind that destroys equipment - as being heroes. I suppose what I mean is that a logger or fisherman has a comparatively low risk of death on a regular basis while a heroic policeman or fireman has a very low average with very high spikes. I'd also argue that a policeman or fireman is less remarkable for being heroic than a person that risks their lives for others without it being part of their job.

      --
      -If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
    45. Re:It's true! by Gizzmonic · · Score: 1

      I'm not comfortable deciding what is "pointless" for someone else.

      It's blatantly obvious he wasted his life. When a guy blows himself by smoking next to a gasoline barrel, do you think "What a waste" or do you think "Hmm, I'm sure glad I didn't get in the way of that guy's self-actualization!"? Be honest now.

      I wonder what his wife and child thought of it?

      I know, like, who can really say, maaaan? I'm sure they felt awesome about it. The wife was like "Man, I always wanted my husband to desert me in order to pursue some dick-waving goal that he can use to impress his golfing buddies." and the kid was like "It sure is great growing up without a father! "

      Some would say that sending men to the moon was a pointless risk.

      And don't even compare this to space exploration. Climbing Everest has nothing to do with expanding our knowledge of the world. It's been done thousands of times, and the vast majority who do it do it for pride. Which is fine. But when they screw up, let's not pretend they were trying to improve the world.

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    46. Re:It's true! by dtml-try+MyNick · · Score: 1

      Physical attributes. The most important!

      No, it is *a* important attribute. Even in this day and age.

      Generally speaking, the fittest person (mentally and/or physically) is the person who has the biggest advantages, no matter where, when, why or how.

      Which of the two is the most important depends entirely on your current situation.

      Since any given situation can change completely in a split second it's foolish to dismiss any trait as less important.

      --
      Life starts at the end of your comfort zone.
    47. Re:It's true! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They ARE heroes. They know that they could die in the line of duty, and they do what has to be done anyways (extra pay does not matter).

      My work is more dangerous than police work and I do it anyway. Does that make me a hero?

    48. Re:It's true! by hipp5 · · Score: 1

      They ARE heroes. They know that they could die in the line of duty, and they do what has to be done anyway.

      Then I would have to say the REAL heroes are construction workers. According to this site, the US had 673,146 officers in 2005. The number of line-of-duty deaths? 165. That's a rate of 0.245 deaths per 1000 officers.

      Compare that to this news that the rate of US construction worker workplace deaths is between 6 and 7 per 1000 workers, around 25 times the workplace death rate of police officers, and the construction workers don't necessarily get paid well for the risk.

      Yes, the police do an important job, and no, it's probably not easy. However, I think this hero worship we lay upon them is ridiculous. (FWIW, the climber is definitely no hero either).

    49. Re:It's true! by Bobtree · · Score: 1

      Parenthood does not reduce his eligibility for a Darwin Award! Read the rules.

    50. Re:It's true! by iamhassi · · Score: 1

      "the physical strength and stamina to climb one of the toughest mountains on earth several times, not to mention the mental fitness, flexibility and willpower one needs in large quantities in order to do something like that."

      And the corporate sponsors!

      Think I'm joking? Children climb Mt. Everest, but not without a long list of corporate sponsers like Energizer and Mary Kay (have to look nice in the photos!). The elderly also climb Mt Everest.

      Climbing Mount Everest isn't impressive anymore, As of 2008 over 4,000 people have climbed Mount Everest and it's become a significant tourist attraction for Nepal: "Climbers are a significant source of tourist revenue for Nepal, whose government also requires all prospective climbers to obtain an expensive permit, costing up to US $ 25,000 per person."

      It's just another tourist attraction for thrill seekers. The reason that guy was able to pass on his seed probably had more to do with having money to burn buying $25,000 Mt Everest climbing permits then it had to do with his physical strength or stamina.

      --
      my karma will be here long after I'm gone
    51. Re:It's true! by iamhassi · · Score: 1

      "Funny you mention Darwin though.. . The guy traveled around the world, visiting remote deserted places for years at a time in a era where such voyages were still the equivalent of playing Russian roulette. Also gross stupidity?"

      Um.... what? Don't you know why it's called the Darwin award?? HAND IN YOUR GEEK CARD IMMEDIATELY!

      --
      my karma will be here long after I'm gone
    52. Re:It's true! by stuckinarut · · Score: 1

      The man you refer to is Rob Hall who at the time had climbed Everest more times than any other non-Sherpa. He was leading a group of paying climbers that he wouldn't abandon to save his own life. I recommend reading the Jon Krakenauer book Into Thin Air which covers the biggest tradgey on Everest that occured whilst the IMAX team were filming. Ed Shears and David Breshers part of the IMAX team were part of the rescue effort. From the outside the world of high altitude climbing does appear to be about thrill seeking but like most things we don't truely understand there is so much more to it.

  2. Because it's there by PatPending · · Score: 0, Redundant

    First Summit!

    --
    What one fool can do, another can. (Ancient Simian Proverb)
    1. Re:Because it's there by bennomatic · · Score: 0, Redundant

      (not)

      --
      The CB App. What's your 20?
  3. No such thing as a voice only network by davidwr · · Score: 1

    If you give me voice you've just given me digital.

    Sure, it may be sub-300 bps digital but is more likely at least 4800 bps and the latency may be terrible, but you've given me digital.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    1. Re:No such thing as a voice only network by Xoder · · Score: 1

      A lot of the audio compression done on cell signals can, and will, completely ruin a data connection. And even if the compression doesn't get you, the occasional dropped packet with silence fill enabled will cause the modem to give up entirely.

      --
      The previous sig has been removed due to /. protecting your best interests
    2. Re:No such thing as a voice only network by sznupi · · Score: 1

      Considering the network on the Chinese side can almost certainly carry SMS - transferring data via this channel, in a way similar to how WAP could use it, would be probably more straightforward, reliable and faster (considering voice-optimised compression)

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    3. Re:No such thing as a voice only network by gravis777 · · Score: 1

      You obviously have not driven around Rural Texas. Still lots of old analogue towers out there, with no data - that's right, no text messaging, no internet, no visual voice mail until you change repeaters. Considering this is setup on a mountain, is it really that hard to imagine that its an old antenna, with a microwave dish pointed to some distant reaches of the outskirts of China that may not have internet access?

    4. Re:No such thing as a voice only network by JesseL · · Score: 1

      It's a sad day when we have slashdotters who are completely unaware of the concept of an acoustic coupler.

      --
      "Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
  4. Can you hear me ... by powerlord · · Score: 0

    NOOoooowwwww.....?

    --
    This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
    1. Re:Can you hear me ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, I can't hear you while you are on Mt. Everest because apparently you are on Verizon. There is a GSM network on the mountain. Perhaps one of your climbing buddies has a phone with, you know, a SIM card in it?

    2. Re:Can you hear me ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, I can't hear you while you are on Mt. Everest because apparently you are on Verizon. There is a GSM network on the mountain. Perhaps one of your climbing buddies has a phone with, you know, a SIM card in it?

      You know that Verizon makes "world" phones that include a SIM card, right?

  5. So... by OfficialReverendStev · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    So can I now, finally, get something better than dialup and AT&T EDGE at my house? My house that's 30 minutes from a major metropolitan area? Please?

    --
    A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Neitzsche
  6. Great News by JoeSixpack00 · · Score: 1

    Now if only they would add 3G service to my aunt's neighborhood...

    (Just saying... it would be a lot more practical.)

  7. Of course. by Kupfernigk · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just make sure your house is a destination for a lot of rich, well-connected climbers who will ensure your telco gets lots of publicity.

    --
    From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
  8. Mt Everest 3G Photo Challenge by abbynormal+brain · · Score: 2, Funny

    First person to climb to the top, take a picture of their junk, and post it on Facebook using the 3G access wins!

    --
    L'esperienza de questa dolce vita (The experience of this sweet life) - Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
    1. Re:Mt Everest 3G Photo Challenge by dsavi · · Score: 1

      ...And subsequently loses.

    2. Re:Mt Everest 3G Photo Challenge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First person to climb to the top, take a picture of their junk, and post it on Facebook using the 3G access wins!

      Brett Favre accepts your challenge.

    3. Re:Mt Everest 3G Photo Challenge by mark72005 · · Score: 1

      Brett Favre has now decided to take up mountaineering.

    4. Re:Mt Everest 3G Photo Challenge by Thinine · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...Their junk to frostbite.

    5. Re:Mt Everest 3G Photo Challenge by Dunega · · Score: 1

      ...and then loses when he complains about Facebook's privacy settings.

    6. Re:Mt Everest 3G Photo Challenge by TheSync · · Score: 1

      First person to climb to the top, take a picture of their junk, and post it on Facebook using the 3G access wins!

      There are some places you just don't want frostbite!

    7. Re:Mt Everest 3G Photo Challenge by dsavi · · Score: 1

      That's what I was trying to imply, didn't work so well I guess.

  9. This is what we've come to. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Depressing.

    1. Re:This is what we've come to. by nizo · · Score: 2, Funny

      Just wait until the elevator to the top is finished in 2018.

      --
      I Am My Own Worst Enemy
    2. Re:This is what we've come to. by baKanale · · Score: 1

      Reminds me of the Arthur C. Clarke story, Cruel Sky, where there's a whole hotel just short of the summit and tourists take daily trips up to the top.

  10. Almost there! by m2shariy · · Score: 1

    Now all is left is to build McDonalds on the top.

    1. Re:Almost there! by leuk_he · · Score: 1

      Already predicted before you

    2. Re:Almost there! by Abstrackt · · Score: 1

      I think a resort would be a much more likely scenario. If you're going to spend all that money building a structure at the top of a mountain you might as well build something people can spend the week in so you can continue to gouge them during their stay.

      --
      They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
    3. Re:Almost there! by insertwackynamehere · · Score: 1

      Place I Do Not Want To See a McDonalds
      A Hipster Expose on Not Liking Things That Don't Exist
      sherpa derp

    4. Re:Almost there! by Arrepiadd · · Score: 1

      A resort to spend a week?!
      Do you have any idea what the oxygen content of air is at that altitude? Do you have any idea how hard is it to be up there? It's not something gramma is gonna do, even if taken by helicopter. She'd die of pulmonary and cerebral edema pretty soon. Or are you suggesting putting a acclimatized, pressurized resort at the top would be the solution? Complete with thick bunkerlike walls so you don't even have to see the outside...

    5. Re:Almost there! by m2shariy · · Score: 1

      Definitely. Basically I was referring to On K2 with Kanakaredes.

  11. Peak Hours by digitaldc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Now Verizon can do a 'Can you hear me now?' commercial from the top of Mt. Everest and the answer will be 'YES! NOW LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!'

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
    1. Re:Peak Hours by sznupi · · Score: 1

      I suspect that might still be a problem - with a Verizon phone, in a network of GSM family...

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
  12. Publicity Stunt by Ancantus · · Score: 1

    Thats all that it is, sounds cool but utterly worthless to almost every-one.

    --
    Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. -- Isaac Asimov
    1. Re:Publicity Stunt by sznupi · · Score: 1

      Or a side effect of expanding their network in Nepal (which they apparently do, also in rural areas), a very useful thing - at some point allowing close enough line-of-sight view of the mountain from some cellular base stations primarily serving local population; or maybe at most via trivial expansion of nearby infrastructure.

      In a place where there's a rotating group of people with lots of money (a rarity there), valuing ability to stay in contact and of decently fast internet access.

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
  13. Oh... my iPod Touch only has WiFi by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

    Still, I expect there'll be a Starbucks there soon enough.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    1. Re:Oh... my iPod Touch only has WiFi by confused+one · · Score: 1

      A Starbucks with an oxygen bar just below the summit might be appropriate. Warm drinks and air...

    2. Re:Oh... my iPod Touch only has WiFi by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      Sort of. Lukla (airport village forming one of the entrances to the Everest region) has a "Starbucks" but it's not really the same as the ones you expect. It *does* have WiFi though.

      http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/bfayolle/4/1257519913/lhukla.jpg/tpod.html
      http://www.bing.com/search?q=starbucks+lukla (Yes, I used Bing, it even got me what I was looking for :-)

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  14. Not at all unusual by AntEater · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Last year I led a group of college age students on a hike up a small local mountain (2700'). First thing that nearly every one of them did at the top was to whip out their cell phones and call someone to let them know where they were. I guess this falls under the "why not" category. Maybe it'll even help with rescue efforts for those who get lost or injured when on the mountain.

    --
    Alex, I'll take keybindings not used by Emacs for $400....
    1. Re:Not at all unusual by b0bby · · Score: 1

      Maybe it'll even help with rescue efforts for those who get lost or injured when on the mountain.

      The downside, of course, is the people who go places they shouldn't, without the equipment they should have, confident that if something goes wrong they can just call for help. It's not a reason for not carrying a phone, but few things are an unmitigated good.

    2. Re:Not at all unusual by aplusjimages · · Score: 1

      There's an app for that.

      --
      Can I bum a sig?
    3. Re:Not at all unusual by hitmark · · Score: 1

      Yep, i recently read about someone being told to basically stay the night when calling rescue from some hillside. I think they had issue with fog on the way down, tho the weather was warm enough to sleep outdoors.

      --
      comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
    4. Re:Not at all unusual by sznupi · · Score: 1

      But...that's scary.

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
  15. That's nice. by Harold+Halloway · · Score: 1

    Now I will be able to e-mail Mountain Rescue when I get into difficulties. How do you operate an Android keyboard with frost-bitten fingers?

    1. Re:That's nice. by mysidia · · Score: 1

      Now I will be able to e-mail Mountain Rescue when I get into difficulties. How do you operate an Android keyboard with frost-bitten fingers?

      There are a number of vendors that sell capacitive stylus for the HTC and other Android devices. As long as you can still grasp with your palms, you should be okay.

    2. Re:That's nice. by kellyb9 · · Score: 1

      There are a number of vendors that sell capacitive stylus for the HTC and other Android devices. As long as you can still grasp with your palms, you should be okay.

      It's actually all a moot point since there's little to no chance of rescue on Everest.

    3. Re:That's nice. by rokstar · · Score: 1

      No, more like you can still get a call right before you die from your boss informing you that his internet is down

    4. Re:That's nice. by mysidia · · Score: 1

      It's actually all a moot point since there's little to no chance of rescue on Everest.

      It's useful in case you need to write that last letter for your love ones, finish that last Will and testament you forgot to do before you left for your trip.

      Transfer all your money to your trust's swiss bank account, before you go, so the US gov't can't screw you with the death taxes.

      Send your GPS position and pictures of where you're at to your loved ones, so they'll know where to collect the body (assuming they can get up there).

    5. Re:That's nice. by sznupi · · Score: 1

      Some Eurocopter landed on the summit few years ago - so just wait a while? A matter of setting up the service to assure safety of those willing to pay for it...

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    6. Re:That's nice. by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

      What death taxes? Oh, you mean the "Estate" tax. Do you know that 95+% of people will never pay it because they simply don't have a large enough estate for it to kick in?

    7. Re:That's nice. by mysidia · · Score: 1

      Do you know that 95+% of people will never pay it because they simply don't have a large enough estate for it to kick in?

      It's a silly argument. Akin to writing off the studies of meteors and the possibility of impacts with earth, because 99% of humans who ever lived are already dead and have nothing to gain by us stopping a meteor collision.

      5% of the population is over 1.5 million people.

      Yes, we know the US population is large, and there are a very large majority of people who are really really bad at managing money that spend every penny as soon as, or even before they actually get it, and don't budget or plan well.

      And the people who do that are also the ones most likely to have way too many children, due to their lack of ability to plan -- which results in them and their children (who learn from them) consisting of a larger percentage of the population.

      And this lack of planning puts them in the street and prevents them from ever having an estate, unless they learn better ways and more judicious money management.

      That's neither here nor there... taking up mountain climbing is expensive, getting the training is expensive, travelling to Everest is expensive.

      Do you care to speculate on What percentage of Everest climbers will never have a large enough estate and won't get close to using up their lifetime gift allowance?

  16. Great, another dimension to advertising by macwhizkid · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Now we're going to have to endure stupid TV ads that incorporate Everest:

    Verizon: The largest and TALLEST 3G network!

    ATT: The fastest and HIGHEST 3G network!

    Then the lawyers will file suit, and we'll have interviews on CNN with a bunch of middle-American jury candidate idiots trying to decide whether highest == tallest ("well, ya see, ah looked it up een mah dictionary, and ah guess who eyver wrote English decided the two words ahr diff-rent, so they must nawt be the same!")

    Meanwhile, T-Mobile will remind everyone that "Stick Together" is good advice for mountaineering, especially since they don't have coverage there. Verizon will eventually phase out "Rule the Air" to "Rule the Entire Atmosphere!"

    Eventually, Apple will release a new iPhone or something and people will move on to talk about that instead and still not be able to find Everest on a map.

    1. Re:Great, another dimension to advertising by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      I realize you're joking but...

      If you want coverage there using a US phone, T-Mobile is the one to go with. Ncell is GSM, so Verizon is right out, and AT&T uses a different band for 3G so you'd get crappy speed even if you could unlock your phone. T-Mobile will unlock your phone for free after 3 months, at which point you could pop in a Ncell SIM card and get 3G. Mind you, Nepal in general doesn't have particularly fast Internet.

      Why yes, I was just there (with an unlocked T-Mobile phone, even). This is a huge improvement though; 6 months ago there was very little coverage in the Khumbu (Everest region).

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  17. FB and Twitter... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...what a filthy shame. In the name of someone climbing a fucking 8km high mountain, the "journalists" taints it with the notion of "going on" Twitter or Facebook to tell the news?

  18. New cause of Avalanches... by geekmux · · Score: 4, Funny

    "So, what caused the Avalanche?"

    "Dunno. All I heard was some guy yelling 'Can you hear me NOW?!?' and then all hell broke loose."

  19. Not what it was by nloop · · Score: 3, Informative

    K2 is the real challenge these days. With enough money you can have your lazy ass dragged to the summit of Everest. Fitting.

  20. Kind of a shame by timeOday · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Some of us, and many of our parents, were born into a world where no man had ever set foot on Everest. It was only climbed in 1953! The first without oxygen not until 1978.

    Now, everybody and their dog is doing it. Helicopters land on it. Discovery Channel had a reality show about it. The mountain is heavily littered with garbage. And now you can surf the web from your iPhone up there. I realize this is all inevitable eventually with better technology. But I am a little jealous of our forebearers, for whom there existed unknown frontiers. And solitude is extinct.

    1. Re:Kind of a shame by rossdee · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I am sure that the late Sir Edmund Hillery would prefer they gave better connectivity to the poor villages in the surrounding area.
      (and Tenzing Norgay too)

    2. Re:Kind of a shame by Princeofcups · · Score: 1

      But I am a little jealous of our forebearers, for whom there existed unknown frontiers. And solitude is extinct.

      Excuse me? I see those frontiers every time I look up at the night sky. You are just looking in the wrong direction.

      --
      The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
    3. Re:Kind of a shame by sznupi · · Score: 1

      But I am a little jealous of our forebearers, for whom there existed unknown frontiers. And solitude is extinct.

      Only if one chooses it to be so... (both not willing to give up our modern toys and acting disgusted about them)

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    4. Re:Kind of a shame by Shakrai · · Score: 1

      And solitude is extinct.

      WTF are you talking about? Even if you live in a concrete jungle like Manhattan, solitude is but a few hours away. If you live in a less densely populated area it's probably only a few minutes away. They don't have state and national forests/parks/preserves where you live?

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    5. Re:Kind of a shame by fermion · · Score: 1
      I don't think that the situation is this dire. Sure, the high profile places with heavy promotion and profit opportunities are fully exploited. On the other hand highest does not mean most difficult to pursue, especially when every trail has been mapped.

      I believe that their are a few high peaks that remain unclimbed. This might make them more important that tall peak. I mean any deity can hide in high peak. It takes a cleaver deity to live in a lower, but well protected, peak.

      Also there are a few place on earth, particularly in South America, that are pretty unexplored. Although they are probably just like any other piece of real estate in the area, only the most dire hard explorer is going to go there.

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    6. Re:Kind of a shame by wumpus188 · · Score: 1

      Don't worry, there's always K2 and Denali.

    7. Re:Kind of a shame by hellkyng · · Score: 1

      You sir are missing the possibility that Mallory and Irving made it first!

    8. Re:Kind of a shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's the nature of frontiers, they don't remain, they get settled. If you don't do that, it's not a frontier, it's just a place you don't go.

    9. Re:Kind of a shame by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      Considering that Nepal in general and the Khumbu (Everest region) in particular is incredibly mountainous, and that cell phones use line-of-sight frequencies, putting a cell tower up where it can see the summit of Everest also means extending the coverage over the entire region by a huge amount. The people of that region - mostly Sherpas (it's an ethnic group, not a job description, BTW) - are lucky if they have electricity for 4 horus after the sun sets, except in the largest villages. Satellite phones are relatively common, but too expensive for most people. When I was there 6 months ago, 3G coverage over the Khumbu was just beginning to spread, and cell phones were becoming popular. This is a huge step forward for these people.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  21. The best thing about climbing Mount Everest... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...isn't reaching the top--it's showing everyone online that I did.

  22. New challenge by mysidia · · Score: 1

    To be the first person to tweet: "On Mt. #Everest #mountain #climbing just reached the #Summit pwn3d. ph3ar m3 n0w n3wbs, for I am l337. Next stop, #Olympus Mons"

  23. Needs to be a Foursquare Check-In Point by Maarx · · Score: 1

    This absolutely needs to be a Foursquare check-in point.

    1. Re:Needs to be a Foursquare Check-In Point by jcwayne · · Score: 0

      Looking forward to the "Top of the World" badge.

      --
      Failure to follow this advice may result in non-deterministic behavior.
  24. Foursquare by pckl300 · · Score: 1

    Joe just checked in to Mount Everest - Summit.

    --
    In the beginning, there was null.
  25. Congratulations by ChrisBader · · Score: 1

    Congratulations climbers that will die on the trip back down! Now your pictures can be posted to facebook or twitter to proclaim your success and no one can argue that you didn't make it!

  26. Takes Something Away by JimDrewberry · · Score: 1

    I know it would be good to call relatives from the top and it obviously has safety benefits but having 3G at the top of Everest definitely takes something away from the extremeness and remoteness of climbing the mountain. I know this is over the top but it rings out 'McEverest'. Admittedly it's still a damn hard climb!!

  27. You know its coming... by ivrexpert · · Score: 1

    the Iphone app might make Everest become a crowded place

    --
    [url=http://www.ksac.com]Custom IVR solutions[/url]
  28. GPS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does this mean they get now get GPS access? Might be really useful to help locate people after an accident.

  29. By that measure, there are much bigger heroes by sznupi · · Score: 1

    Police officers and firefighters are not even in the top 10 of most dangerous jobs, by fatality rates; soldiers probably likewise.

    Conventional wisdom is often wrong; logger, fisherman, construction worker, drivers, etc. are much more dangerous.

    --
    One that hath name thou can not otter
    1. Re:By that measure, there are much bigger heroes by sshore · · Score: 1

      Conventional wisdom is often wrong; logger, fisherman, construction worker, drivers, etc. are much more dangerous.

      I don't doubt that's the case, but it seems like one of those unsourced soundbites that may or may not be true. So, with all due respect..

      [citation needed]

    2. Re:By that measure, there are much bigger heroes by sznupi · · Score: 1

      Googling mortality rate by job (or similar) isn't that hard...

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    3. Re:By that measure, there are much bigger heroes by sshore · · Score: 1

      Googling mortality rate by job (or similar) isn't that hard...

      Wouldn't be that hard to post a link to your source either.

    4. Re:By that measure, there are much bigger heroes by sznupi · · Score: 1

      Thing is - posting one link wouldn't quite make it justice, IMHO. There are many sources of those data, easily reachable, easily available (just modify search terms a bit, for starters) by the simplest means; I wouldn't know which one to choose.

      And yet the myth persists...

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
  30. Getting away from it all by nexttech · · Score: 1

    When people climb Everest they really want to get away from it all. Now they can't

  31. As an NCELL subscriber, all I can say is good luck by herojig · · Score: 1

    I live in KTM and have NCELL on a smartphone. While they are better then the state-sponsored service, NTC, my advice to tourists going up the Nepali side is to keep their sat phones handy. I'd hate to be trouble up there and get a "Sorry, Network Busy" - as we do all the time down here in the valley.

    --
    I think therefore I can't be ~TTNH
  32. The mountain with the biggest tits in the world by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F2SJS6B1wQ

  33. Won't last a Season by dogma2fun4u · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Between vandalism and weather the equipment won't last more then a season. On the north side (Chinese side) the only intact equipment is the main terminal at base camp and one additional repeater part way up the mountain (between BC and IBC). All the remaining equipment above IBC and ABC is non-functional, no use to any climbers. It's going to be the same on the Nepal side. http://7tops.com/media/max/1/5059.jpg http://www.everestnews.com/everest2010/7summitseverest201005272010.htm

  34. Am I missing something? by PPalmgren · · Score: 1

    So I thought commodity hardware had problems at high altitudes and extreme temperatures? Hell, they have special LCD TVs for high altitude livable locations.

  35. Mt Everest? What about N. America? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mt Everest has 3G service? When the hell do I get that kind of service in North Dakota?

  36. what a waste! by mschaffer · · Score: 1

    Let's see, the physical strength and stamina to climb one of the toughest mountains on earth several times, not to mention the mental fitness, flexibility and willpower one needs in large quantities in order to do something like that.

    True, he had strength and stamina. The strength and stamina to needlessly risk his life and ultimately waste it.

    1. Re:what a waste! by bberens · · Score: 1

      You have no idea whether it's fruitful or not. Some would have argued that trying to fly planes was needless risk and wasteful. Hindsight of course being 20/20 we can see that it was worth it for all of those people to jump off cliffs with wooden bird wings attached to their arms because it furthered technology. I'm quite certain some of the technologies and methods invented for the purposes of climbing Everest will be used to allow humans to survive in other adverse conditions (moon?).

      --
      Check out my lame java blog at www.javachopshop.com
    2. Re:what a waste! by mschaffer · · Score: 1

      Climbing everest is not about pushing any technological envelope, it's about having the money, time, and determination to actually do it. Hundreds of people have successfully climbed it.

      If anything, I believe you have it backwards. Technologies developed as a result of surviving in adverse conditions (such as SCUBA) have been used to climb Everest. Some have even climbed it without the aid of supplemental oxygen!

      I may be wrong, but I doubt the person in question was attempting to climb the mountain except for the most selfish of reasons.

  37. See the acoustic coupler comment by davidwr · · Score: 1

    Elsewhere in this thread there's a comment about an acoustic coupler.

    At a very minimum, you can revert to Morse Code or a similar "on off" signaling system, or if that gets "corrupted" by compression, simply call out audible "one" and "zero" and poof you have digital.

    As I said, it may be well below 300 bps but you have digital.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  38. great by memnock · · Score: 1

    not that i'd want to climb the mountain, but if i went to the trouble of doing so, now i have to listen to some douche call his friends from there, like he's at a bar and is trying to figure out why he got stood up. it used to be that the wilderness was about savoring the remoteness and in the case of a strenuous endeavor like making the summit of Everest, reveling in your ability. now it's like you just walked across the city park. what's next an escalator?

    --
    "To stop the terrorists."
  39. No big deal by cstacy · · Score: 1

    They probably had 3G on Everest back in the 1920s...

  40. Hilarious by Montezumaa · · Score: 1

    I cannot even get 3G service when going from the home I am currently in, to my second home, which is two counties to the south. We are talking about Georgia, and the route I take is down a U.S. Highway, not down some road in the "middle of nowhere". So, how is it that a company can provide 3G service in one of the most remote places, but AT&T cannot provide 3G service in far more populated areas?

    Hell, even the 3G service just outside of Washington D.C. sucks huge balls.

  41. The rest of the story.. by ladenedge · · Score: 1

    .. is that the climber who got stuck and froze to death, Rob Hall, was waylaid on the mountain deep into the night because he refused to leave his delirious client, Doug Hansen, alone to die. Due to a snafu with the supplementary oxygen bottles and Hansen's inability to get down without it, Hall was counting on his team to reequip them halfway up the mountain. It almost worked; not only did Hall make a miraculous descent of the Hillary Step with a partially-conscious Hansen in tow, but he hung on in the blizzard with nothing but a snowsuit for some 24 hours. By the time a concerted force made it to his position, he was dead.

    People who climb Mt. Everest aren't heroes, but Rob Hall was.

    --
    ladenedge
  42. Line of Sight by MrKaos · · Score: 1

    Now imagine the LOS from a tower at the top of Everest!

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.