Survival and prevention tips: Share your suggestions
After the James Kim tragedy, some of our readers have offered survival and prevention advice. Post yours here, and we'll summarize.
We're asking you to post your tips and advice--especially those that relate to technology--in our "TalkBack" section at the end of this article. Then, next week, we'll summarize the replies and turn them into an article here on CNET News.com.
To give you an idea of what we're hoping you can help us with, here are a few suggestions that have been made in the last few days:
Some wondered whether the analog-to-digital switch will imperil mobile coverage in rural areas. Ham radios were suggested as a backup. Even though local police said the Kims used a tourist map, some posts said generally to be wary of maps generated by computers unaware of seasonal road closings.
On Webware.com, my colleague Rafe Needleman suggested that a Web 2.0 company could create a "fail-safe service" that would raise the alarm if you go missing. He suggested a system that you'd activate when you go on a trip, and you'd let it know through text messages when you've arrived at waypoints and your final destination.
A response to Rafe's post suggested portable cell towers that could be set up during searches when mobile coverage is lacking, as was the case in the Oregon mountains. Another pointed to a "Fauxjack" demonstration of tracking a car in real time through a clever combination of GPS, Nextel's network, Mologogo.com and Google Maps.
Other suggestions included understanding hypothermia and keeping extra blankets in the car. On CNET's internal discussion list for employees, which we call CNET Spam, personal locator beacons and satellite phones--which can be found in the $600 range--have been mentioned. So has Equipped.com, a survival review, information and product Web site.
If you have suggestions that you would like to share, please post them below. And here's information on how to help the James Kim family.