And here I was bragging about my reception in San Francisco. A British climber set a world record this week after making two cell phone calls from the top of Mount Everest. Rod Baber made two calls from the mountain's north ridge - first calling basecamp to describe the view and weather and then calling his wife and kids.

According to the BBC, the calls were only possible because China set up a mobile base station with a line of sight to the north ridge. Here's more:

To make the call at the summit, 8,848 metres, Mr Baber had to contend with high winds and temperatures of -30 degrees. The call was made to a voicemail account created by sponsor Motorola to ensure the attempt was recorded.

Mr Baber also did not have much time to make the call because those climbing Everest typically only stay at the summit for 15 minutes. Making such a call is dangerous as talking into the handset meant he had to remove his oxygen mask.

You can listen to the recording of the call online.