Extreme Telecommuting - It's Not What Dad Did
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA 
on 08. 1.07
Interesting one here about a chap named Anthony Page who classifies himself as an extreme telecommuter. Page travels the world and works remotely via laptop. Amazingly, he finds an Internet connection almost everywhere, even in the poorest nations.
He got the idea when his job as a Web developer in London was outsourced to India; he took the hint and decided to work with clients long-distance over the Internet as well, while simultaneously taking a non-stop soujourn. Voice, e-mail, and video communication are no problem, and PayPal handles all the payment. Clients, while unsure at first, got used to the idea that they could trust him to deliver work on time. Here's the laundry list of the tools you need.
Anthony packs smart; he has a laptop (Macs are preferred since viruses and other malware don't get them), an unlocked world phone or PDA that can be switched across networks, and uses Skype. And he gets the comprehensive damage warranty on everything. Finally, a USB drive to back up vital files is essential, and an optional Wi-Fi hotspot locator comes in useful but adds weight.
Anthony admits (via blog) that he thinks his lifestyle is environmentally unfriendly. Not so fast! Telecommuting, of course, is hardly a new idea, and we've repeatedly mentioned that you should stop showing up for work. In fact, there are even government incentives for telecommuting initiatives. So the next logical question is: Why stay at home? Page mentions he has personally saved a bundle of money with his lifestyle, and it's easy to see why; no house to heat, no refrigerator running non-stop, probably eating local foods, no car. Wealth is no indicator of your "eco-worthiness", but Page seems to have found an elegant solution the problem we all face - doing what you want, in a place you want to be, with someone you want to be with. Compared to the proverbial grind, it's hard to see this nomadic lifestyle as worldcrippling. Bravo. :: CNN Money
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i don't see how that can possibly be true. Even in third world countries? I live in rural Arkansas, in the foothills of the Ozark mountains and as we contemplate a move to our new home 1000 feet from the main road we are being faced with paying 10k to have cable internet put back there or dealing with satellite which has an upload speed thats too slow. Wireless is not even a possibility.
You might want to point out that the photo isn't actually Page. It's one of the other guys in the article, LePine.
[oops! thanks mjo]
Being a telecommuter myself I wonder if he knows something many of us do not. Wireless internet is not available world wide, its just not. My cable went out recently 1 hour before my month ended and I still had a quota to fill. I had to drive 13 miles into town to the coffee shop to finish my month on time.
I love telecommuting. I hope I never have to drive to work every again. I do hope that someday we truly will be able to live and work anywhere.
I think the part about the unlocked world phone or PDA is the key. You could set that up to work as a modem, greatly increasing your range. Most of the world, even much of the third world from what I hear has stronger mobile phone networks than the US. Still that would be pretty slow connections I'd think. In the article it mentions that he hooks up 'via satellite link' without providing more detail, but it sounds like another way of using phone based networks rather than WiFi.
who is he offsetting with?
someone worthwhile to share that 'bundle of cash' with
Wireless internet may not be available anywhere, but satellite internet opens this possibility wide open. I believe that is the type of connection he is using, if I remember correctly from reading the Business 2.0 article.
Perhaps I need to travel to get decent satellite service. Mine has been down since Sunday here in New York. The company said they cannot get to me until next week!.
I sit here on dial up....
Hello, First-Worlders!
First, I'd like to say that if you have never traveled outside of the United States, please do so this summer. Yes, you will experience guilt over the greenhouse gases your plane ride will release into the atmosphere. But I think it may be more important that you gain a better understanding of how the world's wealth is truly spread in and among different countries.
With the development of technologically-savvy metropolitan areas all over the world, particularly in country capitals, there is no lack of broadband connections and, yes, even wi-fi enabled areas. Perhaps the connections are not quite as quick as in the urban mainland USA, but they are good enough to send enough loads of data to a client, to utilize P2P software and to browse the web. These services are also a whole lot cheaper than in the US due to PPP and inflation disparities.