Technology continued - 2

I am the proud possesser of an Intelsat Satellite phone - one that will work virtually anywhere in the world that you can receive a satellite connection. A thought that crossed my mind is that it will no doubt work in the wilds of Africa, but I would have to be careful about using it in New York City, where the buildings are not going to make it easy to get a clear satellite signal.

The instruction manual recommends that standing under a tree is not the best idea, since the branches, leaves and occasional leopard will conspire to block a satellite connection. Luckily there are few places where trees are likely to cause a problem.

I am going to ask when I am next in Durban about a satellite modem, to receive DSTV when I am in the back of beyond! When I go camping now, I do not usually have DSTV connection, but with a cell phone sized satellite modem, maybe I can get DSTV at night when I am sitting around a campfire! I can remember when if you wanted a phone, you HAD to have landline connection, and even then you had to DIAL the number, not press buttons. Most calls I need to make now, I do not need to remember the number - it is stored on the SIM card in the phone! In fact, I find that I seldom need to make voice calls - I use my SMS - or Email - on the phone so if anyone not used to the way I speak is on the other end, they dont have to claim that they cannot understand me and ring off! I often get to think "But lady, you phoned me! Why are you against how I speak - or dont speak!" The ability to speak clearly and to run are the 2 things I miss most about my BC (Before Crash) existance.

I was amazed recently in the LDS Church, when a "new" Missionery Elder stood to give his first greeting to the congregation. No-one could understand his Manchester dialect - just as if he was not speaking English! I laughed inwardly that he was speaking English that has not been corrupted by other dialects. In SA, most English is spoken with a German/Dutch/Afrikaans influence! I laugh when a boer locally (heavily Afrikaans) comments to a born and bred englishman, "Speak English!"

I have an aunt who went back to live in Kent, and she has commented "The weather is too cold, and the locals DONT speak an intelligible language, even though they think they speak English! Watching "The Amazing Race" on TV, it stuns me that teams of Americans have so much trouble in foreign countries, and more than once I have heard coments like "Speak English!" when they speak a wierd dialect themselves! What I have found is that as soon as I talk, virtually everyone has a light behind their eyes that says "Shame - cannot speak properly, so MUST be mentally less able!" - and they speak to me as if I am a lesser being! Highly amusing when I consider that my IQ is probably twice theirs, and they treat me as sub intelligent - talk really s-l-o-w-l-y! I feel like punching them and saying "I am disabled, not stupid!"