Skype Journal: Skyping from the rainforest
May 23, 2005 06:03 PMA BBC story about a family in Guyana that uses Skype. 
Duane DeFreitas, an adventurer and guide living in the tropical rainforest of Guyana. ... Out here it pays to be self sufficient: the nearest town is across the Rupununi river and down a gruelling four-wheel-drive track - about three hours away in the dry season, or about three days away in the wet. There's no telephone, no mains electricity, no anything really.And Skype. Like money and politicians, like water on pavement, like Skype and the Internet: they find every opportunity to spread.Except, surprisingly, broadband internet access, in all its glory. With a satellite dish outside the house, and electricity provided by solar panels and a current inverter, DeFreitas is possibly the world's least likely internet nerd.
TrackBack (3)
» Skype in the Rainforest from MAKE: Blog
Out here it pays to be self sufficient: the nearest town is across the Rupununi river and d... [Read More]
Tracked on May 23, 2005 6:29 PM
» Skype in the rainforest? Of course! from Mats Bergman . com
How do you make phonecalls when your sole connection to the rest of the world is internet-over-satellite-connection? BBC can tell. Via Make: Blog and Skypejournal .
... [Read More]
Tracked on May 28, 2005 10:49 AM
» skype as assignment from The HUMlab blog
This is a post that has been a long time in coming…a little about skype. It is a platform that I use on a daily basis and have even disconnected my home phone in favor of skypein (in combo with... [Read More]
Tracked on June 13, 2005 11:39 PM
Comments (4)
Sounds like this gent could be the poster child for Skype. Maybe Skype should arrange to send this guy a headset, speakers and a webcam. Given his apparent lack of credit card(s), they should also consider giving him some free SkypeOut credit.
Posted by: Ian at May 23, 2005 8:06 PM
Do you really think credit cards were the problem? How about getting UPS to deliver packages to his door?
Posted by: Phil Wolff at May 24, 2005 12:35 AM
Great idea Ian, let's hope they are reading. Could be a great location to run an "Outward Bound Skype Bootcamp". Now we just need 20 sign ups at "safari+" rates. Bring your own headset!
Posted by: Stuart Henshall at May 24, 2005 8:25 AM
Phil, I don't know if UPS would make local deliveries for this gent. Stuart, I've already pointed out the BBC URL to one of my contacts in Tallin (Erki Esken) and suggested that they send this guy some hardware. He thought it was a good idea, and is kicking the idea upstairs to management. Hopefully something will come out of it.
Ian
Posted by: Ian at May 25, 2005 4:46 PM