NRIDS: Building wireless networks in Nepal

While I was in Nepal, I spent time working with my good friend Sudip Aryal. Sudip started a organization called NRIDS (Nepal Rural Information-technology Development Society) to increase access to technology in his home district of Syangja.
Sudip and I spent a lot of time planning a rural wireless network to beam internet from the tourist hotspot of Pokhara over a nearby mountaintop, and down to five villages in Syangja district. The entire project could be done with the same hardware you use to get wifi access in your local coffeeshop.

NRIDS has a network plan, it also has technical volunteers willing to work for free. Now all it needs is money to buy the hardware: USD $8000 to be exact. Check out the fundraising piece I did for NRIDS, and if you feel like it...give a few bucks by PayPal. Every bit helps!

NetSquared Referenced my article

NetSquared mentioned (if not quoted) my 'Giving Back to your Subjects' article in their discussion of 'Pentaxploitation: do photography and social change really go together?'

...ok, so I'm several months late in knowing about it, their mention was in November 2008. Still, just goes to show it's worth googling yourself every once in a while.

Slideshow: San Francisco Brides of March 2009

...back in San Francisco for less than a month and I'm already shooting drag queens in wedding dresses. I love this town. Check out my slideshow for the event, and remember: beware the brides of March.

Slideshow: Glimpses of Nepal

This is a quick slideshow I put together of some of the things I've been shooting over here in Nepal. Music is the beautiful "Latika's Theme" from Slumdog Millionaire.

Images published in Himal Magazine

The Nepali magazine Himal ran two of my images in print and on the web in a story on trekking to Khopara Ridge in the Myagdi District of Nepal. Now I know that शैली बस्नेत is Nepali for Andris Bjornson, as listed in the photo credits.

Roll Your Own Peace Corps

"Whether it’s the trekking guide who shares a closet-sized apartment with his sister, the homestay host who can’t scrape together the cash to repair her leaky roof, or the bright-eyed children who study in a thatched-roof schoolhouse, people in developing regions bring you face-to-face with the massive gaps in standards of living.

Confronting this economic divide can generate powerful emotions ranging from shock to shame to outright anger at the state of the world.

Point these emotions in a constructive direction, though, and you may find yourself planning your next big trip around finding a way to help."

I've been quiet for a few months now, but the whole 'packing up everything I own and moving to Nepal' thing has kept me busy. Here's a piece I just did for MatadorChange.com on planning your own volunteer experience by getting in touch with local NGOs in developing countries that need the skills you already have.

Enjoy!

Another KPAM Radio Interview: Exploring Malaysia

Pat Boyle at the Azumano Travel Show on KPAM 860 in Portland interviewed me again, this time it was a broad overview of exploring Malaysia. Check out the audio below:



It seems like every time I talk to them, we end up talking about leaches. I'm really not that fixated, they just keep coming up...I swear.