w1ld wrote:
] ] Since the system went into place last September at the
] ] new elementary school here in Cambodia's remote northeast
] ] corner, solar panels have been powering three computers.
] ] Once a day, an Internet "Motoman" rides a cherry red
] ] Honda motorcycle slowly past the school. On the passenger
] ] seat is a gray metal box with a short fat antenna. The
] ] box holds a wireless Wi-Fi chip set that allows the
] ] exchange of e-mail between the box and computers.
] ] Briefly, this schoolyard of tree stumps and a
] ] hand-cranked water well becomes an Internet hot spot.
] ]
] ] It is a digital pony express: five Motomen ride their
] ] routes five days a week, downloading and uploading
] ] e-mail. The system, developed by a Boston company, First
] ] Mile Solutions, uses a receiver box powered by the
] ] motorcycle's battery. The driver need only roll slowly
] ] past the school to download all the village's outgoing
] ] e-mail and deliver incoming e-mail. The school's computer
] ] system and antenna are powered by solar panels. Newly
] ] collected data is stored for the day in a computer
] ] strapped to the back of the motorcycle. At dusk, the
] ] motorcycles converge on the provincial capital, Ban Lung,
] ] where an advanced school is equipped with a satellite
] ] dish, allowing a bulk e-mail exchange with the outside
] ] world.

Wow that's pretty damn creative!

RE: Rural Cambodia, Though Far Off the Grid, Is Finding Its Way Online