rips…

much ado about almost nothing…

Apart from that the munici­pality has problems financing it, not much can be said about the building that dominates this picture. It is supposed to house cultural activities, and it probably will – some day.

Some like it, some don't, and some – including me – could not care less.
The only reason I mention the building at all is that it is in the center of the above picture – ruining both the view and the local economy.

The picture presents an overview of central parts of our small coastal town – the southernmost town in Norway – on a sunny day, with the harbor for smaller boats protected by the surrounding tree-covered hills. Some small islands out there, but next town more or less due south is found in Denmark.

Imagine what it looks and feels like when the weather picks up and storms force sea-waves all the way from the English channel towards our coast. Doesn't happen too often, but in seasons with lots of water coming down the river that shaped the harbor, and the sea rising above normal high-water level, the lowest-lying streets are unpassable.

securing connection to the world…

I have no idea if working infrastructure will ever be prioritized in my own municipality. The pigsty they're building down-town will probably drain all resources for a decade or so, making it necessary to look for progress and all else elsewhere. Thus, I am in the process of building my own wireless “link-station” so I can stay connected to the world via a transceiver located an hour drive west of our small farm – across a couple of municipality-borders.

The screenshots show what my wireless internet connection looks like at the moment. Not very impressive but at least my connection seems to work more or less stable 24/7 now, and this is just the preliminary results obtained with a simple battery-driven test-rig carried around in our local hills. Once I get the units installed with larger antennas in a fixed position, things will improve a bit.

Such a DIY project seems to be the only way to secure “online” status when I'm at home in Mandal, Norway. Good thing I can spend large portions of the year in places that are not so far behind the time.

The fiber-optic project I have been promoting for more than 3 years, is not completely dead, but I am on the outside now and have no idea if the project will become reality or not. Time will tell … it always does.

sincerely 
farm assistant

Hageland 07.may.2011
last rev: 15.may.2011