Internet access & Photo Upload

[Glee]

I was wondering how much Internet access & computers could I find in towns along the AT. I'm looking for free access like a library offers or cheap access at others locations. Also, I might buy a digital camera or a disposable one and want to unload my pics to a web site. Anyone know much about this?

Thanks

[veteran]

Check out this site:

http://www.fred.net/kathy/at/access.html

[Grimace]

I think every town library had Internet as well as some churches and hostels along the way. Checking email is easy, but I think unloading pictures would be difficult only because is intrusive. Plugging in a USB cable requires drivers and complete access to a computer. You're probably better off taking digi photos and swapping out memory card to mail to someone who can download them for you. If you had two 120 MB cards you could fill up card and mail it off, fill up next card and swap at a predetermined mail drop.

[Footslogger]

Surprisingly, internet access along the AT is pretty good. Vast majority of the towns have a public library with free internet access and a lot of hostels and motels now have terminals as well.

That's the good news ....but the not so good news is that you may not be able to hang on a terminal long enough to do the photo uploads. Libraries have time limits. Another thing would be the interface to the computer. There are some places that don't allow uploads/downloads for fear of virus contamination. The other would be to carry a little media card reader with you but even then you'd probably have to carry software and load the drivers to support the reader.

Consider sending your shots home and having someone else do the uploading. I did that on my thru-hike last year and it worked well. Of course you need to have someone who's willing to take the time to do all that.

Happy Trails ...

'Slogger

[hungryhowie]

Like others have said, internet access for checking e-mail is no problem most of the time. Using it for uploading digital photos probably will pose a problem, however, because of the various programs, operating systems, upload/download limits, restrictions at libraries, time limits, etc.

If you want to go digital, and that's certainly a valid route, you've got a couple of choices for getting your photos home (which I think is where you'll have to send them to get them online). You can swap out memory cards, meaning that when you fill card #1 up, you send it home and begin using #2. home sends #1 back and when you pick it up, you send home #2. Get it?

Another option is a portable cd-r drive like the Apacer Disc Steno. Most are about the size of a discman, but have a compact flash slot to download your photos and burn them to a cd. You can make as many copies as you want (I'd always make at least 2. One to send home, and one to stay in the bounce box until you know it got home safely) and send the cd home instead of the card. A disc steno will cost about the same as a high-capacity card.

If you use a high-capacity card(s) (more than 865mb) the disc steno 2 will support disc spanning, meaning that if you use a 1, 2, or 4GB CF card/microdrive, you can max out one cd (since one cd will hold only 865MB) put in the next cd, and keep on burning, etc.

Many photographers warn against high-capacity cards, saying that it's putting all of your eggs in one basket. It's all relative. If you're using a 2MP camera, a 1GB card will last you a lifetime and you'd probably be able to fit thousands of the highest quality photographs it can muster on to that one card. If you're using a 6 or 8 digicam/DSLR, however, you'll cut that number down to 100-200, which may not even be enough depening on your shooting style.

-Howie

[Kozmic Zian]

:cool: Yea......Photos. I think Howie's idea about the use one memory stick, send one memory stick home thing is probably the most logical and least expensive way. A 128 mb stick can give you, with a 3 - 4 meg pix camera, about 120-150 or more photos. A 128 mb stick costs about 50 - 80 bucks, two of those, sent back and forth to home, would give you plenty of shot opps. Like the others said, tho, you gotta have an assistant at home to do the downloads and send the 'stick' back. If you do, and have a digital cam, this is, IMHO, the way to go. KZ@