“Without you, we have no chance.”

Hours: 9.5

It was just the heat.

Today started like a normal day. I talked to John, the meeting to get city funding for the wireless project was supposed to be this evening so I went along with the group. Of course, there was a disclaimer that it could change. First, we went to ESBAO to collect working power supplies we needed to replace at CHD from their room of spare parts. A biology teacher pulled us into his classroom and thanked us profusely after showing us a quick slide show of his students, what they did and how our work had helped. His work with his students included his trips to the local hospital to witness surgery and operations specifically births and c-sections. (He is a real doctor so it makes sense... though the picture of one of his students holding a placenta like a freshly caught fish does not.) Afterwards, he gave us all these certificates... was a little awkward and spur of the movement but I live for that.

We split up. A few people went back to CHD to switch out the power supplies and tie down the last few issues. The rest of us went to Guadalupe Victoria across town. (it's the school Mr. John gave a graduation address at and they named the class in honor of him awhile back) We were going to check out the lab we had set up there and do a few required fix-it things. They too had a few computers that simply would not turn on. I hopped off the van and walked through the gate. My phone buzzed. The meeting had been moved. So I hopped back in the van and met John and Neito at their hotel. I popped on the “nicer than jeans” outfit I had had stashed in the van and we left.

We made it to the Place of Justice and sat for a bit. And waited. And waited. Finally, it came through that he was tied up and would see us later. However, our other two meetings (with the people who we would be working with in telemedicine if the city was willing to put forth the money) were still on.

So we went to DIF, the social services agency run by the mayor's wife who has supposedly turned around much of their former inefficiency and fought to turn it into a force to be reckoned with. There we met with her (the mayor's wife) and several directors of programs. They all agreed to back any telemedicine program we would start and said they would be more than willing to offer their doctors on staff to help. I think we have a visit to DIF as a group on Friday... we'll see.

We then met with one of their doctors on staff appropriately named Minerva. She too showed great interest and support in the proposed project. She also was curious about accessing patient records from any hospital from anywhere either by means of a database or remote access to make her job and the jobs of those working for DIF easier. Possible other projects for the future could emerge from this. Since we were talking teleconferencing, we ended up on the computer with Greg in Baton Rouge. Greg was fun to work with, especially since, unbeknownst to him, he had a fan club at school.

After a very late lunch (it was 4.30 when we sat down), we finally made it to the mayor's office with the mayor there. He's a nice guy overall, considered a grassroots sort of politician who is for the people and actually gets things done. For instance, when he first took office the bathrooms in the public schools were appalling holes in the ground. He made sure running water and other modern amenities were installed. In other words, it would seem he actually gives a damn. (Madeline and Virginia are actually staying with him as their host.) Anyway, we sat down and went through the plan.

El Mundo (of course...) has an office in the area we want to pull the initial connection through. The position of the office is ideal to send the signal up the mountain to Tinajtas which is in an ideal location to beam it to three schools slightly down the mountain. The geographical position of these schools makes it impossible to send the signal directly to them. Once the signal reaches its destination and connects to a wireless access point, it can be pulled into the school. The nice thing about this is, the stations where the internet signal is sent and received have a 5 mile radius where internet can be accessed. This means that in addition to the school receiving a signal to use 15 some odd miles away, people in the immediate vicinity could access as well.

(note, I have all sorts of fun graphics that go with this, but the internet looks at me like I am nuts when I try and put them up, I will as soon as I can though)

Interestingly enough, one of the areas set to receive a chunk of the signal didn't have electricity until 2 weeks ago. They had been promised it for over 50 years and finally got it.

After all we said and done, he signed the project in agreement and the check to Motorola was cut: 20 grand USD... They begin installation and setup next week. Mind you I won't be here but I will be back. As his quote above implies, he'll need our help getting this all in line and I fully plan to continue. And let's hope all goes well.

But yea...It went through! It went through! It went though!

Old bug count: 32 (every time we enter a new part of tow I find more)