While I'm frequently lamenting the difficulties of technology in Africa, I have to report some successes as well.
First off, this very blog. Five years ago, I sent emails to my blog to post. Simply loading up the page was too big for our sluggish internet. Then, I'd send small jpegs to my friend Greg through email, and he'd place the pictures on each post. For my video blogs, it was even more complex. I sent actual DVDs with clips that I'd want uploaded, and Greg posted those for me. Now, I can do everything from here. Large pictures, small videos, and website entry...any time of the day without impediment. (Unless, of course, the Internet is completely down [which does happen] but if it's working, I can maintain this completely.)
But Saturday night was a total milestone. As I listen to my beloved PSU football team online each Saturday of fall, my gracious wife allows me to hibernate to the study/playroom for a few hours. Last month, she suggested that I Skype someone back in the States and have them turn their webcam on so I could watch the game. The extreme idea seemed a bit fanatical for even me, and I balked on the idea for a few weeks. I was happy to be listening...WATCHING seemed like I was tempting fate to smite me. But on the final Saturday of the season, the stars aligned. PSU had a game on during a reasonable hour (8pm-11pm Kenya time), and I asked my friends Andy and Debbie if they would be willing to try. It worked out for them, and miraculously, it worked. For three hours, I watched PSU, and since it was Skype, Andy and I got to talk about the game like we were sitting in the same room. It was amazing. Penn State lost, but it was still incredible!
High def, it wasn't. But you have to celebrate the little victories when conquering technology in Africa.
0 comments:
Post a Comment