The Lost Boys

Update: The story, with an image uploaded over our link, can be found on the website of La Prensa. They owe us big time, and may come back to interview us about the project. For awesome. Text edited a bit below:



For some eight or nine days, two gringos have been lost on the volcano Maderas, where I'm living. Rumors are flying about their having been found, which is not the case. But they were enough to get the Nicaraguan army and national police to show up in force, with helicopter. They've joined the search party, which for some reason ended up at our place tonight.

Right along with them came reporters and a photographer from La Prensa, the biggest news paper in Nicaragua. The photographer is presently at my side, going through his pictures, so he can upload them back to HQ via our connection. "You're already helping the community," he commented, after I gave the brief run-down of our project.

In other news, though it started late, and several key people failed to show up (perhaps due to rescue efforts), our meeting went reasonably well this morning. That is, people are committed enough to put their time into helping the project progress. That's awesome. We also met some Linux-savvy folks from Jinotepe who say they have a friend who does Linux networking. Excellent.

A real update, this time:

The Internet connection is working pretty well, though the power isn't. The commercial power grid comes and goes, and makes us fear damage to the very expensive hardware we just put in. We still can't use the hydroelectric system here because the tap they just put in for coffee processing equipment would (and did) bust from the increased pressure caused by the generator. The good news is that the replacement parts David brought down for the inverter appear to work.

It didn't take 24 hours for people to start asking to use the Internet connection. People who already have email accounts (mostly off-islanders working at the Finca) want to check them, and everyone else is anxious to play with this Internet thing everyone's always talking about. So today we set up a nice little browser box for folks to use.

The Big Meeting that was going to be today got postponed to tomorrow without anyone remembering that I'm supposed to go in tomorrow for a root canal. They ran out of minutes on their phone again, and I can't get David's phone to work right, so I haven't been able to postpone the dental appointment. This is the state of communication on the island. It keeps relationships within living communities strong, though, and I'm a little worried to see how that will change in the future.

We'll be sure to let you know how the meeting goes tomorrow.

WE GET SIGNAL - MAIN SCREEN TURN ON

690ms roundtrip pingtime back to Seattle, but it works. Whee!

The promised update

I'm still alive, but rather tired. You know, so you don't worry. But I don't feel like expounding to much right now. Sorry :-/ With luck, I'll have access from Magdalena within a day or two.

To the dentist

I've not written in a while, again, leaving many people worried for my health. I got rid of whatever it was I had before, and have moved on to my next ailment. I'm off to Granada to see a dentist tomorrow morning. Wish me luck, that the dentist has and uses novicane.

Immediately following my dentist's appointment and likely unable to speak clearly, I will make the 5+ hour (ideal travel time) back to Finca Magdalena to get there before they finish installing the satelite equipment. Then to Managua Saturday to meet David Mitchell. A crazy few days.

Lately I've been rounding up everyone, from hotel owners to the standing and future municiple mayors of Altagracia to the Ometepe delegate from the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports, to come to a presentation/meeting next Thursday. This'll be big, scary, and important. Exciting, though. Everyone is very interested in the project, but I know they're be a little dubious.

And now, off to catch the ferry! If I'm still alive by the time I arrive in Granada, I'll expound a little more on the meeting and State of Things.

Guck.

Hello, friends,

What interesting times we live in. Strange to be so far from you all in times such as these.

I've been sick for the last week. I think I picked up a parasite on the way back from Managua. No energy for a long time, and now a fever that comes and goes and indigestion. Yay! The health center in Altagracia gave me a stack of pills, but I'm going to see if I can get someone to actually find out what's wrong here in Rivas. So, suffice it to say that I don't have a lot of news due to having no energy.

The antenna tower at Magdalena is up and should be functioning. I haven't had the chance to test it due to weather and not being able to find some connectors. Hmm. I'm trying to hack something together, though.

Check out my new pet!