"HACKING THE HIMALAYAS" -- NPR TECH CONTRIBUTOR XENI JARDIN'S 4-PART
SERIES ON HOW THE INTERNET IS CHANGING TIBETAN LIFE AIRS ON NPR'S _DAY TO DAY_
TUESDAY AUGUST 8 -- FRIDAY AUGUST 11

Washington, DC; August 7, 2006 -- In Tibet and Northern India, the recent
introduction of high technology and the Internet to the region has the Tibetan
people struggling to reconcile their ancient traditions with rapid growth.
Buddhist monks in Tibet are emailin each other from their temples, while young
Tibetan refugees are learning computer code from high up in the Himalayas.


This integration of cutting edge technology in such an unexpected place is the
work of international tech activists, including members of a hacker group
called "CULT OF THE DEAD COW," who are working to install wireless broadband
in these traditionally unconnected communities to help them become more
self-sufficient.  But how has this advancement changed things in the remote
refugee community?

NPR's _Day to Day_ technology contributor Xeni Jardin asked this question when
she traveled to Tibet and Northern India to see first-hand how the
implementation of wireless broadband is impacting Tibetan life.  Her report
airs as a four-part series -- "Hacking the Himalayas" -- on NPR's midday news
magazine program _Day to Day_ Tuesday August 8 -- Friday August 11 (check local
stations' air time of _Day to Day_ at www.NPR.org/stations).

For her series Jardin interviews Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, the elected
prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile, who believes the Internet
has much in common with the Buddhist precept that everything in the universe
links to everything else.  Life, he says, is a network:  "We Buddhists believe
in the philosophy of interdependence.  Nothing is independent, everything is
related and interdependent.  We have to connect with each other, and for
connecting, we need communication.  And for communication now there are
tremendous facilities, and it is very good."

A multi-media slide show and photographs from Jardin's travels in addition to
audio and narrative components will be available at www.NPR.org throughout
the series.  The complete series will be archived online at NPR.org.

In addition to contributing to NPR's _Day to Day_, Ms. Jardin is a
contributing writer for _Wired Magazine_, as well as a tech culture journalist
and co-editor of the collaborative blog BoingBoing.net.

-NPR-

NPR Media Relations: Emily Lenzner / 202.513.2754 / Elenzner@npr.org

original release | series archive