I've been visiting South America the past couple of weeks, and nothing made quite as much of an impression on me as this:



On Lake Titicaca, there is a village made up of approximately 43 floating man-made islands. The islands are made from the reeds that grow in the lake - which also serve as a source of water purification and food. Tourism is their main industry, and they put on a marvelously entertaining demonstration of how the islands are built, anchored, and moved or sawed in half when trouble with neighbors occurs.

But the solar panels were what caught my attention. Talk about living off the grid! Unfortunately, I didn't think to check for an open wifi network until I was headed back to my hotel, where the wifi was slow and ungainly.

They have wifi in Mecca for the Hajj. I won't be there to attest to the network's reliability, but I find it amazing how pervasive internet access has become.

I like their warning, especially:



That's a message every mall in the U.S. should have up this time of year.

Wifi in remote locales is of special significance to us here at Social Edge this week, as we bring you this week's edition from Peru, China and back home in Palo Alto.

So how's the wifi at the great wall? How's the bandwidth at Macchu Picchu? Inquiring minds want to know! Hopefully we'll be able to find strong signals along the way

Soon, there will be wifi in the sky too. There will be nowhere and no time when you won't be able to work. How will the 40 hour work week adjust? Or will it? It's fabulous that we can be connected anywhere and everywhere but how does one truly unplug?

Okay, I know, the 40 hour workweek is a myth from oldentimes anyway, so if I'm looking to kiss it goobye it's already too late.

Next week: Ecuador!