Elias sat on his porch, his wired headphones plugged in to act as an antenna. Using a simple FM Radio App , he scanned the static. Through the white noise, a voice emerged from a station two towns over, broadcasting on emergency power.

In the golden age of the smartphone, Elias was a relic. He lived in a valley where the mountains were greedy, swallowing every bar of LTE and 5G before it could reach the small cluster of houses below. While the rest of the world was busy "streaming," Elias was busy "tuning."

"The main road is closed at the pass," the voice crackled. "Supplies are being rerouted to the community center. Please stay indoors."