There really is no internet in the mountains of the United States, and Starlink is much needed!

A few days ago, at Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon, my phone was SOS all day, a complete digital detox😂.
Last night, I went to Griffith Observatory in LA, halfway up the mountain, no internet either.
I muttered softly, no wonder we need Starlink.
The driver said, my home is equipped with Starlink, other networks sometimes lag, but Starlink doesn’t.
Outside, you need to install a base station, and inside, place a device, similar to our router/modem.
The home version now costs about fifty to over a hundred dollars a month, with a one-time fee of over three hundred dollars for the router.
There are also direct connection and roaming versions for over 150 countries on mobile phones.
I checked the registration for Starlink Roam, a global roaming network designed for RVs, camping, and travelers.
Price: 50 dollars per month for 100GB, unlimited data for 105 dollars per month, paused if not in use.
American telecom provider T-Mobile’s partnership with Starlink offers T-Satellite direct mobile connection for only 10 dollars a month, covering the entire US with over 650 satellites over 500k square miles of blind spots.
In the city, there’s internet using regular networks; in signalless areas, switch to Starlink.
United Airlines is offering free Wi-Fi on flights, called Starlink Aviation, and at sea, there’s Starlink Maritime.
Camping, RVs, and national parks in partner countries use Starlink Roam.
In China, it’s hard to understand what “completely no signal” feels like; I’ve been to mountains in Hohhot with 5G Plus.
In the US, mountain towns in cities are digital wastelands…
“Welcome to the mountain city, Los Angeles.” A friend drove from Irvine to see me, and the first thing he said when we met was,
“I went to Mexico 🇲🇽 for the first time, worried about safety.
Locals asked where I was from, I said LA, and they laughed, ‘Same as you guys, don’t worry.’”
LA really has “security anxiety.”
🔫 Rifles on rooftops
My friend drove 🚗 to K Town for Korean food, talking about “Roof Koreans.”
In the 1992 LA riots, police withdrew from wealthy areas like Beverly Hills, leaving Koreatown to the rioters.
Korean shop owners took guns to rooftops themselves.
Many were Korean veterans, all able to use guns, on rooftops of Fifth Street and Western Avenue’s California Market.
“An auntie was said to stand on her roof, gun aimed at the people rushing in: ‘If you take one more step, I’ll shoot you!’” Koreans won.
Other American friends have also talked to me about this【gun rights freedom】—when someone breaks into your private territory, shooting in self-defense is seen as justified, part of “protecting oneself.”
It’s also related to pioneering spirit; Texas colleagues still go hunting now.
Two sides of the same coin.
When I booked a hotel, the system specifically warned that weapons were not allowed.
I thought, who would bring a gun into a hotel?
When I entered the room, I saw a notice on the door:
“Legal protection for hotel staff from threatening behavior.
This hotel is equipped with personal safety devices for staff. — Los Angeles City Code Chapter 18, Section 182.02”
I also saw five police officers holding down a man at the subway station, which scared me so much I only dared to ride this once.
At the Beverly Hills luxury supermarket Erewhon, two security guards at the entrance each carried two guns.
There are two small robots on the streets.
While driving, a white, round little car slowly moved along the sidewalk.
I thought it was an Amazon delivery robot, similar to the food delivery robots at Atour Hotel?
My friend said: that’s a security patrol vehicle.
It’s called Knightscope K5, made by a company specializing in security robots.
Over a meter tall, over 400 pounds, bullet-shaped, with cameras, thermal imaging, laser radar, license plate recognition, patrolling 24/7 in commercial areas, parking lots, malls.
Businesses rent them monthly, from $650 to $5,500 each, cheaper than human security guards.
At Sun Nong Dan, a Korean restaurant recommended by Rose, there are two squat pink boxes called “COCO” at the entrance.
I asked, what are those for?
Friend: “Delivering food. Human labor is too expensive, some businesses just use robots.”
“Can it go upstairs?”
“Of course not! Sometimes it falls over, and you have to use voice commands to help it up, super cute!”
Coco was funded by Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO), with over $120 million invested.
There are about 1,300 on the streets, zero emissions, over 500,000 orders delivered.
It’s not fully autonomous; there’s a human remotely monitoring and ready to take over at any time.
It can’t climb stairs, only run on sidewalks, so it often flips over and acts cute😂.
Patrolling robots, delivery robots.
“They’re so common, I don’t find it special anymore.”
That’s Los Angeles streets.
⚖️ I suspect the most popular profession in LA is lawyers.
Unlike San Francisco’s AI ads everywhere, LA is full of lawyer ads.
Behind the COCO delivery robot I filmed, there’s even one on the bus!
“We fight for you,” The Accident Guys, your injury lawyers, 2,500+ five-star reviews, if something happens, not only will they win, but they’ll win beautifully… all kinds of lawyers.
Friend: “It’s really easy to get into car accidents in LA, and there are all sorts of weird people.”
“No wonder accident lawyers dominate the screens.”
That’s why he lives in the more expensive Irvine.
I remember the driver said she has to file taxes every year.
US personal taxes are very complicated; lawyers can help you legally reduce taxes and avoid trouble, costing only over $100 a year.
In the US, half the people file taxes with professionals, mostly accountants (CPAs), not lawyers, who only come in for tax disputes.
At night, we still went to Griffith Observatory, the place where Mia and Sebastian dance under the stars in “La La Land.”
“What’s different from Yangmingshan?”
“You’ll find out when you go up. It’s my favorite night view🌃.”