From BBC Magazine:
The Welsh village of Staylittle can be found to the west of Newtown in Powys. It's an isolated place - the nearest market town is almost eight miles away. "Staylittle, which has remained outside the perimeter of progress and stayed little, is miles from anywhere," complained a reporter in the Times in 1965. Fifty years might have passed since then but the village's communications are still tenuous.
It has no mobile reception. And because of this, most people in Staylittle have to rely on their landlines to stay in touch with people. But a fortnight ago, the villagers were cut off. Ten days later, Staylittle was still waiting for the problem to be fixed. The main conduit of communication is one working landline in the Post Office.
Yes, the UK is more compact than either the US or Australia, but I imagine it's still frustrating to be as cut off as the people here are.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 05 2015, @07:49AM
Americans think 100 years is a long time, English think 100 miles is a long way.
There are many places that are 40+ miles away from anything resembling a store that sells food in the US. I have yet to be in one that has cell reception. Nevermind what goes on in Canada. Being isolated there can mean being 1000 miles from the nearest paved road...or any road.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 05 2015, @07:54AM
Best part of being in Canada is not being in the US.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 05 2015, @08:01AM
It must be so awful to share two borders with the Evil Empire. Tell you what, why don't you hosers invade again. Burn down the Black House this time, would ya? Thanks.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Saturday September 05 2015, @11:09AM
The best part of being in Canada is Canadians. Kind, considerate, decent people. The second best part of being in Canada is the land itself; I grew up a stone's throw from Glacier National Park and you'd think it'd be impossible to beat that scenery, but Canada does. Being next to the United States is the only flaw the place has.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 05 2015, @05:49PM
Racism, nationalism, and other prejudicial bigotry still is when it is positive. Not all Americans are bad. Not all Canadians are "kind, considerate, decent people". You, with your efforts against sexual prejudice should have realized this long ago.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday September 05 2015, @06:16PM
A typical cellphone has enough power to reach a cell tower up to 45 miles away. Depending on the technology of the cellphone network, the maximum distance may be as low as 22 miles because the signal otherwise takes too long for the highly accurate timing of the cellphone protocol to work reliably.
In the western part of the US, you can find large areas of zero cell reception, but they won't be within 8 miles of a tower.
I've encountered areas in upstate New York that have no cell reception, but if you go around the hill (or drive up the hill) you can get reception.
Hills and valleys are a cell phone's worst enemy.
So we have to assume there is no cell tower near the nearest grocery store either.
Still, Someone must have bought groceries in those 10 days. You would think they could have placed a call from the grocery store to the phone company.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 06 2015, @03:10AM
Still, Someone must have bought groceries in those 10 days. You would think they could have placed a call from the grocery store to the phone company.
What makes you think they didn't?