How the mobile phone saved my life

A new Discovery Channel Series is beginning to air this month in Asia and Europe – and will soon be airing in the US. It is called, “How We Invented The World.” It is a four-part series that examines the four inventions that define the modern world – mobile phones, cars, planes and skyscrapers. The series not only talks about the invention, but also “The People and connections that made them possible.”

The first episode features the mobile phone. For the episode, the producers learned of the impact the mobile phone had on me during the 2004 Asian Tsunami (my mobile phone story here). They came to San Francisco and interviewed me for the episode. And the in the first show, recreated the moments around the mobile phone and how it saved my life that day. If it had not been for the cousin of my taxi driver, and the mobile phone connection between the two, I might not be living today.

If you are in Asia, the episode airs this week. It has already aired in the UK, but you can find repeats. I have not seen the release date yet for the series in the US. I am impressed with the effort and research that went into each episode.

In the meantime, here is an excerpt about how the mobile phone helped save my life that day in Phuket, Thailand. (See video here).