Old technologies never die; they return in unexpected ways.
WSJ.com - As Telecom Reels From Storm Damage, Ham Radios Hum:
In an age of high-tech, real-time gadgetry, it's the decidedly unsexy ham radio -- whose technology has changed little since World War II -- that is in high demand in ravaged New Orleans and environs. The Red Cross issued a request for about 500 amateur radio operators -- known as "hams" -- for the 260 shelters it is erecting in the area. The American Radio Relay League, a national association of ham-radio operators, has been deluged with requests to find people in the region. The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for hams to help with its relief efforts.
Ham radios, battery operated, work well when others don't in part because they are simple. Each operator acts as his own base station, requiring only his radio and about 50 feet of fence wire to transmit messages thousands of miles. Ham radios can send messages on multiple channels and in myriad ways, including Morse code, microwave frequencies and even email.
And the old fashion canoe was probably the most important means of transportation.
Lesson one: even though we are a complex, sophisticated society, in times of chaos and crisis, simple is better.
(and by the way, remember when everyone said radio was dead as a media of communications? Podcasting, talk radio, web audio -- it is various forms, the radio show is still very much alive.)
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