hi, thanks for blogging so regularly.It is nice to get a traveller updating on a daily basis. It is true that travellers dont do it often. When i was travelling, i found it is not easy to get online. u mentioned that blogging is work. I am glad to say i dont find it difficult. This is because it is informal blogging. That is why i suggest you have a mix of articles which u have to prepare and spend time on, and daily blogging a diary. You can write anything in ur daily diary, spontaneous thoughts and observations and never have to bother about getting it perfect. Right now u mentioned about GPRS.how much does it cost u? i m curious because i like to compare it with london. it is about £15 a month here. From what my friends who have it tell me, it is quite reliable though slow in uk. but in thailand I am not surprised that it is sporadic. Do you write all your posts on ur mobile? without a keyboard? no wonder u say it is such a bother and feels like work. haha. I guess u dont use ur laptop much, hence the ants. You could write on it save it to disc. Take ur time writing up the post maybe over a few days or weeks whilst u gather material for it, and then go to a cafe and download it at once to ur weblog. how about that as another way whilst still writing short posts daily?

The GPRS here has many prices, but unlimited is 1000 Baht per month of about 30 US Dollars per month. The GPRS in Thailand is very good, however to hook up the bluetooth to the mobile phone and the computer is always a problem. Many small variables to control and know how to fix.

I write all my post on a laptop, I often go into internet cafe with a thumb drive and upload.

hi andy, thanks for clarifying. i once saw a chap typing away on his laptop on the moving train in uk. It was connected by usb to his mobile and he did not seem to have any problems. so why use bluetooth? perhaps it is a silly question.Please excuse me if it is a silly question because i m not gadget savvy.

The bluetooth is needed to connect the computer to the telephone, it is the wire connection, but is "Wireless."

Keeping the cellphone and the computer working together is the hassle. If a person was lucky, the computer they use and the cellphone would like each other, if not than you have problems.

I am not in the USA, I cannot go to a tech to get support, this is the HUGE difference that people do not understand. I must fix 95 percent of my problems. I have no good friend near the house tha can give me some help. The people on the train normally have some support they do not consider valuable, but are truly incredibly valuable.

let alone travelling. I live in Marrakech and the internet connection is such a bore, can you imagine running a business with an internet connection like you are describing. If anyone could give me a solution i would be sooooo greatful.

Wow. I am truly impressed that you haven't thrown your computer and cellphone together against the wall in frustration. I've tried GPRS a few times. It would work fine if websites were like they were back in 1995, just vanilla HTML, maybe one or two tiny images, no flash or other plugins, no javascript. With modern websites, GPRS is incredibly slow and frustrating. I can't imagine trying to use it in the third world. Putting up with sh*t on the spray nozzel I can understand, but compounding that with tech hassles... You must indeed have explorer blood in your veins.

Fourth generation will be faster cellphone data connections (UMTS) together with blogging straight from your cellphone and to hell with the computer. That is, travelers will carry a smartphone like the iPhone or Nokia E72 or one of those Blackberries, and then type into the smartphone using its keyboard and blog directly from there. Since most smartphones have builtin cameras (junky now but improving each year), they will also be able to post photos directly from their smartphone. One device instead of the multitude of devices you are carrying.

The only source of hassle will be buying the SIM card from the local provider (and making sure they don't sell you some sort of junky service), but even that will be easier in the future as service levels converge.

You are right that no one else can be expected to do what you are doing. But things are rapidly improving.

I am not sure about small, it is hard to imagine people truly working on a cell phone and getting work done fast.

Too small and awkward, but I do see that many people will work 10 times harder so they can have a small item.