In article , Roger Long wrote:
You've really got to admire parents who would let their child do something
like this:

http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/

Anyone familiar with how the Iridium sat phone system works care to
speculate on how his reported position could be so far off? It's the
same network SPOT uses so I'm interested in that aspect of it. I'll
try to keep my SPOT out of the sink though.

A quote from the blog: "Praise God for modern technology".

It's exactly this technology that has them on the edge of their seats
and unable to live while he's away. If he didn't have it there'd be no
twice daily check-in, and no worry when it didn't happen. If, for some
reason, his batteries drain and he can't charge his 'phone there'll be
a full SAR call out for a (likely) perfectly happy sailor in no
distress, and at huge cost to someone.

If the technology didn't exist they probably wouldn't have let him go.
But if they've faith in his ability and had let him go without the
technology the best they could expect is a call at landfall, and would
mentally allow for a potential delays in his arrival. While I'm sure
they'd still be worried, it is something they'd overcome more easily
due to having to live with it longer.

Yes, the technology is great (certainly no thanks to any deity
though), but it's not to be relied upon... I've seen several Notices
To Mariners where the military are trying out GPS scrambling devices.
Not to mention the fact the the US *will* switch the thing off should
they believe the enemy is using it to co-ordinate an attack.

Justin.

--
Justin C, by the sea.