As with any project it is interesting to see where we started and look at where we actually ended up. 

As I post the Technical Specification document that covers all the user and performance assumptions,

an overview of the solution and the instructions and documentation on how to build it, it is strange

to see how this has changed from the simple idea I roughed out on a piece of paper

in the conceptual round of the HackADay prize. 

Many of the early assumptions did not prove out to be true. More open source component parts

in terms of software already existed than I knew about. It was also interesting to see the different

approaches people had already tried to bring communications infrastructure to under developed regions.

Some were too grandiose and did not consider the local cultural and social norms. Some made totally

different assumptions on what was needed. Ultimately it was good to build on the "shoulder of giants"

because very little is totally new these days even in technology. Often they are just ideas that society

is now ready to except (who knew people want to share so much of their lives on social networks). In other

case it was a idea that technology finally made practical (CDMA was developed by the screen

actress  Hedy Lamarr and pretty much everyone has some of her genius in their pockets).

In light of all the natural disaster recently the importance of communications or the lack of it

is front and center in many peoples mind. So this is not the end of journey but just a pause.