Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Climbers Use Satellite Phones, Text, and Photo Messaging to Report Progress Up Everest

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 19:29:31 -0400

Climbers Use Satellite Phones, Text, and Photo Messaging to Report Progress Up Everest

Climber Lorenzo Gariano is using a satellite phone to record his climb of Mount
Everest and beaming the live audio blogs to a Web site run by the Open
University's Knowledge Media Institute, based in the U.K. Every few days, he
sets up his satellite phone to dial into the lab's phone service and logs a live
report that is also recorded on the Web site as a regular blog, or Weblog.
Additionally, China's Sohu.com, an Internet company, and China Mobile are
providing text and photo messaging on the mountain.

====================================================================================

Blog from the top of the world
A blog from Everest could prove to be the most remote location for a web
diary yet.

Weblogs are becoming increasingly popular as online diaries discuss every topic
under the sun, including now one of the world's most ambitious climbs.

Lorenzo Gariano is one of an army of climbers who will be setting out to tackle
the world's largest mountain in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Everest's
conquest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

He has been recording every stage of his momentous journey via a satellite
phone which beams live audio blogs to a website run by the Open University's
Knowledge Media Institute, (KMI), based in Milton Keynes.

Matterhorn blog

For when he is not climbing mountains, Mr Gariano has a much more mundane
day job - tending the potted plants at the KMI's laboratories.

"While he is watering the plants, he tells us about his climbing exploits so we
decided to combine it with testing out some technology," explained Dr Peter
Scott, head of the KMI.

For his practise climb of the Matterhorn in the Alps, Mr Gariano was hooked up
with a Nokia picture phone in order to test out an audio and picture blog
service developed at the lab.

The blog proved immensely popular with the climbing world and Mr Gariano's
latest blog is also attracting interest.

"He is sending back some great reports," said Dr Scott.

The technology needed for the Everest blog is much more low-tech, despite the
fact that physically the journey is far more challenging than the Matterhorn
climb.

Mr Gariano uses his satellite phone every couple of days to dial into the lab's
phone service, logging a live report which is also recorded on the website as a
regular blog.

Busy peak

"Everest is harder because he is using a satellite phone which he has to set
up. It is important that the technology does not get in the way of the climb,"
said Dr Scott.

Mr Gariano is taking part in the Adventures International expedition to Everest,
organised by the experienced climber Scott Woolums.

He will not find himself alone on Everest as 20 teams of mountaineers head for
the summit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the conquering of the world's
highest mountain.

Neither will he be alone in making phone calls from the summit.

One of China's internet companies, Sohu.com in conjunction with China Mobile
is providing text and photo messaging on the mountain.

Image of Lorenzo Gariano courtesy of Scott Woolums
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/2973735.stm

Published: 2003/04/28 08:00:09

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