Here is where the technological articles of faith play an interesting roll
In one african village there is only enough fuel to run the generator
for a few hours/day. the choice of how to use those precious KW/hrs is
in the hands of the person controlling the keys to the generator. The
decision has been made to use those electrons to run a TV set, for
entertainment purposes. In the US, when TV's were first introduced,
those below the poverty line had the devices when the middle class
decided to spend their fiscal resources elsewhere. In Mexico, I was in a
small village where the kids would spend their pesos on electronic games
and sweets.
It is now verified that, in the US, college students spend more time
playing computer games than studying (not sure of the details)
In the US, major highways increased the access of farmers to markets for
their goods. It also increased the concentration of folk into regional
centers leading to the demise of rural communities and business in favor
of regional "big box" stores.
One must be careful about what one wishes for; you might, like Midas,
get that wish
thoughts?
tom abeles
Sandra Andrews wrote:
Thank you, Aditie, for giving us a look at a plausible scenario in rural
India. Frankly I do see Taran's work as investigating such scenarios as he
travels, and I am eager to hear what he finds. Perhaps he will find some
places where a simputer would be appropriate, and others where it would not
be so.
But if we have enough information, we might be able to find flexible enough
answers.
Here is another scenario to consider, this time in Mexico.
The background: The group I am involved with,
floaters.org<http://floaters.org>,
has historically focused on those who are *least likely to have access.
Living in Arizona as we do, various group members have developed a small
number of volunteer- and donation-based technology integration projects in
Mexico.
Here is one finding: Unless we can offer solar-powered technology, or better
infrastructure, home-based computing is not going to work in some areas,
even in a city.
The scenario: If you live in a small home, with no running water perhaps (I
mention this just to give you something to visualize), and if the only
electrical outlet is that attached to a bare light fixture hanging from the
ceiling, then the chances of frying your keyboard (or worse) are high. You'd
really have to replace your surge protector often, more often than would be
practical.
The answer for now might be a shared device requiring little maintenance, in
a place sheltered from dust. And perhaps users could also store smart cards
or flash drives there.
Solar powered devices would be nice, but you'd still have the problem of
dust, even more where the floor is earth - remember, there are cultural
reasons as well as economic reasons for dirt floors. So a place to store
your computing device would be important.
And - these problems represent just one scenario and not even a complete
picture at that! What about local ethnic rivalries, for example, which we
have also run into, to our own astonishment?
I think success is more likely when users have been given enough information
to help design their own solutions that will work for them and their
communities, and then have been given the support to do so.
Taran, please let us know if you visit the Cunas, and what happens there
with the technology.
Sandy
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