Help, I’m disconnected!
By Ben Robinson on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 4:44 AM PST
In Ideas and rants, The Digital Life
It doesn’t happen often, but I am largely without InterWeb access!
This week I’ve gone on holiday with the family, to a place where Mobile networks don’t reach, and where WiFi is well, limited, to say the least. Perhaps I should clarify – we are at one of those Forest retreats in the UK, where you can do things like “have quality time” with the family, in the form of various leisure activities – now that is more than cool, and I’m signed up for it – but what I can’t understand is, in a hyper-connected age, why the network coverage is so poor!
I won’t name the place we are visiting, but there is literally no mobile coverage (which presents it’s own issues, come to those in a minute), and the WiFi has been variously described as “shaky” and “broken quite often”!!
Now I was going to write a post on what it’s like not being connected at all on my mobile (which bothers me just a little, because I’d like close relatives to always have a line in to me), but in fact the attitude of the staff here has got my ire somewhat… unfortunately it’s the case for me the job I do requires that I am connected – and that is not me desiring network access, but it’s mandatory for me to do my job.
So what to do when you don’t have any access. Well, for the posts I write, I am currently sat typing stuff up offline, in the hope that the broken WiFi will be remedied, or stable enough, to go online tomorrow. As regards the mobile access (to clarify, there’s no landlines in the cabins here either!), there isn’t any easy solution, apart from getting in the car and travelling to some sort of civilization – suddenly the free WiFi in the nearest Starbucks is looking VERY attractive!
Have you ever been stuck without any kind of network access? What did you do? Did you feel just a little bit naked without your Mobile?! Come on, you can tell us…..






There seems to be a growing buzz in the media industry generally right now about 3D – how good it is, the fact that consumers are bound to want it, and crucially, how to do it. Interestingly though, Mobile may be very well set up to handle 3D and potentially even take the lead over it’s progress in Home Consumer Electronics Devices – let’s consider a few key points:
Not so very long ago in the news, there was a story about a mandate laid down by the Government that within 5 or so years, everyone should have access to the InterWeb, at a speed of 2Mbps or more. The medium of connection for that statement was not defined, but of course there could be a range of options – (x)DSL, Cable, FTTH, Mobile, WiMax – the list goes on.

