BIGGEST WI-FI CLOUD IS IN RURAL OREGON - what's in YOUR area...?

If you don't have electrical sensitivity... and/or diminishing health,
this could cause it...!
The WELLth Coach
----------
From: [hidden email]
Reply-To: [hidden email]
Date: 17 Oct 2005 18:52:47 -0000


BIGGEST WI-FI CLOUD IS IN RURAL OREGON
By Rukmini Callimachi
Associated
October 16, 2005

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/16/D8D9FN780.html

HERMISTON, Ore. - Parked alongside his onion fields, Bob Hale can prop open
a laptop and read his e-mail or, with just a keystroke, check the moisture
of his crops.

As the jack rabbits run by, he can watch CNN online, play a video game or
turn his irrigation sprinklers on and off, all from the air conditioned
comfort of his truck.

While cities around the country are battling over plans to offer free or
cheap Internet access, this lonely terrain is served by what is billed as
the world's largest hotspot, a wireless cloud that stretches over 700 square
miles of landscape so dry and desolate it could have been lifted from a
cowboy tune.

Similar wireless projects have been stymied in major metropolitan areas by
telephone and cable TV companies, which have poured money into legislative
bills aimed at discouraging such competition. In Philadelphia, for instance,
plans to blanket the entire city with Wi- Fi fueled a battle in the
Pennsylvania legislature with Verizon Communications Inc., leading to a law
that limits the ability of every other municipality in the state to do the
same.

But here among the thistle, large providers such as local phone company
Qwest Communications International Inc. see little profit potential. So
wireless entrepreneur Fred Ziari drew no resistance for his proposed
wireless network, enabling him to quickly build the $5 million cloud at his
own expense.

While his service is free to the general public, Ziari is recovering the
investment through contracts with more than 30 city and county agencies, as
well as big farms such as Hale's, whose onion empire supplies over
two-thirds of the red onions used by the Subway sandwich chain. Morrow
County, for instance, pays $180,000 a year for Ziari's service.

Each client, he said, pays not only for yearly access to the cloud but also
for specialized applications such as a program that allows local officials
to check parking meters remotely.

"Internet service is only a small part of it. The same wireless system is
used for surveillance, for intelligent traffic system, for intelligent
transportation, for telemedicine and for distance education," said Ziari,
who immigrated to the United States from the tiny Iranian town of Shahi on
the Caspian Sea.

It's revolutionizing the way business is conducted in this former frontier
town.

"Outside the cloud, I can't even get DSL," said Hale. "When I'm inside it, I
can take a picture of one of my onions, plug it into my laptop and send it
to the Subway guys in San Diego and say, 'Here's a picture of my crop.'"

Even as the number of Wi-Fi hotspots continues to mushroom, with 72,140 now
registered globally, only a handful of cities have managed to blanket their
entire urban core with wireless Internet access.

Hundreds of cities from San Francisco to Philadelphia have announced plans
to throw a wireless tarp over their communities, and a few smaller ones such
as Chaska, Minn., have succeeded. But only Ziari appears to have pinned down
such a large area.

The wireless network uses both short-range Wi-Fi signals and a version of a
related, longer-range technology known as WiMax. While Wi-Fi and WiMax
antennas typically connect with the Internet over a physical cable, the
transmitters in this network act as wireless relay points, passing the
signal along through a technique known as "meshing."

Ziara's company built the towers to match the topography. They are as close
as a quarter-of-a-mile apart inside towns like Hermiston, and as far apart
as several miles in the high-desert wilderness.

Asked why other municipalities have had a harder time succeeding, he
replies: "Politics."

"If we get a go-ahead, we can do a fairly good-sized city in a month or
two," said Ziari. "The problem is getting the go-ahead."

"The 'Who's-going-to-get-a-piece-of-the action?' has been a big part of the
obstacles," said Karen Hanley, senior marketing director of the Austin,
Texas-based Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry group.

No major players were vying for the action here, making the area's
remoteness _ which in the past slowed technological progress _ the key to
its advance.

Morrow County, which borders Hermiston and spans 2,000 square miles, still
doesn't have a single traffic light. It only has 11,000 people, a number
that does not justify a large telecom player making a big investment, said
Casey Beard, the director of emergency management for the county.

Beard was looking for a wireless provider two years ago when Ziari came
knocking. The county first considered his proposal at the end of 2002 and by
mid-2003, part of the cloud was up.

The high desert around Hermiston also happens to be the home of one of the
nation's largest stockpiles of Cold War-era chemical weapons. Under federal
guidelines, local government officials were required to devise an emergency
evacuation plan for the accidental release of nerve and mustard agents.

Now, emergency responders in the three counties surrounding the Umatilla
Chemical Depot are equipped with laptop computers that are Wi-Fi ready.
These laptops are set up to detail the size and direction of a potential
chemical leak, enabling responders to direct evacuees from the field.
Traffic lights and billboards posting evacuation messages can also be
controlled remotely over the wireless network.

"We had to find a way to transmit huge amounts of data _ pictures, plume
charts.... All that data is very complex and it's hard over radio to relay
to someone wearing chemical protective gear," said Beard.

And for the Hermiston Police Department, having squad cars equipped with a
wireless laptop means officers can work less overtime by being able to file
their crime reports from the field.

While the network was initially set up for the benefit of city and county
officials, it's the area's businesses that stand to gain the most, say
industry experts.

For the Columbia River Port of Umatilla, one of the largest grain ports in
the nation, the wireless network is being used to set up a high-tech
security perimeter that will scan bar codes on incoming cargo.

"It has opened our eyes and minds to possibilities. Now that we're not tied
to offices and wires and poles, now what can we do?" said Kim Puzey, port
director.

------------



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

cyanide pill, anyone? :( :(

--- In [hidden email], Jan Jenson <vizual@a...> wrote:
>
>
> If you don't have electrical sensitivity... and/or diminishing
health, prop open
> a laptop and read his e-mail or, with just a keystroke, check the
moisture
> of his crops.
>
> As the jack rabbits run by, he can watch CNN online, play a video
game or
> turn his irrigation sprinklers on and off, all from the air
conditioned
> comfort of his truck.
>
> While cities around the country are battling over plans to offer
free or
> cheap Internet access, this lonely terrain is served by what is
billed as
> the world's largest hotspot, a wireless cloud that stretches over
700 square
> miles of landscape so dry and desolate it could have been lifted
from a
> cowboy tune.
>
> Similar wireless projects have been stymied in major metropolitan
areas by
> telephone and cable TV companies, which have poured money into
legislative
> bills aimed at discouraging such competition. In Philadelphia, for
instance,
> plans to blanket the entire city with Wi- Fi fueled a battle in the
> Pennsylvania legislature with Verizon Communications Inc., leading
to a law
> that limits the ability of every other municipality in the state to
do the
> same.
>
> But here among the thistle, large providers such as local phone
company
> Qwest Communications International Inc. see little profit
potential. So
> wireless entrepreneur Fred Ziari drew no resistance for his proposed
> wireless network, enabling him to quickly build the $5 million
cloud at his
> own expense.
>
> While his service is free to the general public, Ziari is
recovering the
> investment through contracts with more than 30 city and county
agencies, as
> well as big farms such as Hale's, whose onion empire supplies over
> two-thirds of the red onions used by the Subway sandwich chain.
Morrow
> County, for instance, pays $180,000 a year for Ziari's service.
>
> Each client, he said, pays not only for yearly access to the cloud
but also
> for specialized applications such as a program that allows local
officials
> to check parking meters remotely.
>
> "Internet service is only a small part of it. The same wireless
system is
> used for surveillance, for intelligent traffic system, for
intelligent
> transportation, for telemedicine and for distance education," said
Ziari,
> who immigrated to the United States from the tiny Iranian town of
Shahi on
> the Caspian Sea.
>
> It's revolutionizing the way business is conducted in this former
frontier
> town.
>
> "Outside the cloud, I can't even get DSL," said Hale. "When I'm
inside it, I
> can take a picture of one of my onions, plug it into my laptop and
send it
> to the Subway guys in San Diego and say, 'Here's a picture of my
crop.'"
>
> Even as the number of Wi-Fi hotspots continues to mushroom, with
72,140 now
> registered globally, only a handful of cities have managed to
blanket their
> entire urban core with wireless Internet access.
>
> Hundreds of cities from San Francisco to Philadelphia have
announced plans
> to throw a wireless tarp over their communities, and a few smaller
ones such
> as Chaska, Minn., have succeeded. But only Ziari appears to have
pinned down
> such a large area.
>
> The wireless network uses both short-range Wi-Fi signals and a
version of a
> related, longer-range technology known as WiMax. While Wi-Fi and
WiMax
> antennas typically connect with the Internet over a physical cable,
the
> transmitters in this network act as wireless relay points, passing
the
> signal along through a technique known as "meshing."
>
> Ziara's company built the towers to match the topography. They are
as close
> as a quarter-of-a-mile apart inside towns like Hermiston, and as
far apart
> as several miles in the high-desert wilderness.
>
> Asked why other municipalities have had a harder time succeeding, he
> replies: "Politics."
>
> "If we get a go-ahead, we can do a fairly good-sized city in a
month or
> two," said Ziari. "The problem is getting the go-ahead."
>
> "The 'Who's-going-to-get-a-piece-of-the action?' has been a big
part of the
> obstacles," said Karen Hanley, senior marketing director of the
Austin,
> Texas-based Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry group.
>
> No major players were vying for the action here, making the area's
> remoteness _ which in the past slowed technological progress _ the
key to
> its advance.
>
> Morrow County, which borders Hermiston and spans 2,000 square
miles, still
> doesn't have a single traffic light. It only has 11,000 people, a
number
> that does not justify a large telecom player making a big
investment, said
> Casey Beard, the director of emergency management for the county.
>
> Beard was looking for a wireless provider two years ago when Ziari
came
> knocking. The county first considered his proposal at the end of
2002 and by
> mid-2003, part of the cloud was up.
>
> The high desert around Hermiston also happens to be the home of one
of the
> nation's largest stockpiles of Cold War-era chemical weapons. Under
federal
> guidelines, local government officials were required to devise an
emergency
> evacuation plan for the accidental release of nerve and mustard
agents.
>
> Now, emergency responders in the three counties surrounding the
Umatilla
> Chemical Depot are equipped with laptop computers that are Wi-Fi
ready.
> These laptops are set up to detail the size and direction of a
potential
> chemical leak, enabling responders to direct evacuees from the
field.
> Traffic lights and billboards posting evacuation messages can also
be
> controlled remotely over the wireless network.
>
> "We had to find a way to transmit huge amounts of data _ pictures,
plume
> charts.... All that data is very complex and it's hard over radio
to relay
> to someone wearing chemical protective gear," said Beard.
>
> And for the Hermiston Police Department, having squad cars equipped
with a
> wireless laptop means officers can work less overtime by being able
to file
> their crime reports from the field.
>
> While the network was initially set up for the benefit of city and
county
> officials, it's the area's businesses that stand to gain the most,
say
> industry experts.
>
> For the Columbia River Port of Umatilla, one of the largest grain
ports in
> the nation, the wireless network is being used to set up a high-tech
> security perimeter that will scan bar codes on incoming cargo.
>
> "It has opened our eyes and minds to possibilities. Now that we're
not tied
> to offices and wires and poles, now what can we do?" said Kim
Puzey, port
> director.
>
> ------------
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>