Ok, a bit of an exaggeration, but...
Am up in the north woods of Wisconsin, far from town, and very close to the south shore of Lake Superior. It is truly one of the most remote and beautiful places I know...woods, water, fresh air...and cellular data services! 
Had a lovely morning bike ride, a quick dip in Gitche Gumie, and am now back in my tent, relaxing on my comfortable cot...and reading the Naim forum on my iPad! We were here two years ago, and there wasn't even voice service!
Am using my iPhone as a "personal hot spot", and connecting the iPad to it via Bluetooth. On the one hand, I am amazed how well this is working. On the other, I am a little bit sad that even our best effort to get completely away from civilization has been unsuccessful!
Anyone else been recently shocked by the reach of the net?
Hook
Posted on: 06 August 2012 by winkyincanada
Originally Posted by Hook:
.....a quick dip in Gitche Gumie....
Hook
There really is a Lake Gitche Gumie?! I always assumed it was made up.
We just came back from a week in cabin country near Algonquin NP (up north from where you were). We canoed and portaged through the park for a day. What a great place. And no cell-phone coverage.
Posted on: 06 August 2012 by Hook
Hi Winky -
Gitchee Gumee is the Ojibwa name for Lake Superior...
By the shores of Gitchee Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
...according to Longfellow anyway!
Looks like I am going to have to go much further north next year to get away from it all. Either that, or promise myself to only use the cell phone in emergencies!
Hook
Posted on: 06 August 2012 by Steve J
Looks like I am going to have to go much further north next year to get away from it all. Either that, or promise myself to only use the cell phone in emergencies!
Careful Hook or you might end up in Winky country. 
I'm pleased to see your back is obviously fully recovered from the activities you describe.
Winky,
My uncle was in charge of a large part of the Algonquin NP. I remember visiting him in the '80s. We stayed at the Doon pioneer village (I think it was called). They moved old timber houses lock, stock and barrel complete to the area and then slid them into place on bars of Sunlight soap! Had some great trips with him in a helicopter visiting some remote Eskimo villages. The worst thing I remember about the trip were the bloody midges. They seem to love a bit of sweet English blood. Unfortunately the old boy has died but my aunt and cousins still live around the Toronto and Guelph areas. I must find time to visit again.
ATB
Steve
Posted on: 06 August 2012 by mutterback
I work a lot in developing countries - Kenya, Cambodia and Laos mostly - and am constantly amazed the relatIvely high quality and low cost of voice and data. It's $0.04 per minute to call the US from Kenya on a mobile phone - no contract, just buy credit when you need it. $10 / week for 1 gig of data. The first demo of 3g video chat on a phone i saw was in cambodia. It's just amazing to be in these places and Skype with my kids from a cab. A few years ago you paid $4/min and felt lucky to get a line.
Meanwhile, AT&T can't proved constant data service in new York or up and down I95. I appreciate
the data traffic is intense, but these guys are just too fat and happy in the US with their 2 year locks, and north of $150/month bills for most business users.
Posted on: 07 August 2012 by Iver van de Zand
Hi Hook,
I enjoy your thread.
I have been in ICT for quite some years, so not to quickly amazed anymore by new technology. However sometimes I am. As a sailor I recently was on the middle of the Ocean checking wheather website on the iPad using the iPhone as a hotspot. Works extermely easy and very well. The iPad really is my "friend" especially on the music side. Enjoy nStream every day when playing music. The album info leads me every time to other great music or reviews .... very good implementation of modern technology.
