The Simputer is indeed a remarkable piece of technology. I soundly applaud the designers and backers and all the others who have tackled the array of hurdles (not just technical) involved.
My only caution is to be aware of the history of almost every truly innovative technology- namely that those in advantaged positions are inevitably early adopters and reap benefits which can sometimes worsen the position of the less advantaged. The green revolution is some places allowed early adopters (wealthier) farmers to adopt hybrid crops and their essential fertilisers and the consequent windfall yields allowed them to crush and buy out smaller, uncompetitive farmers. If these Simputers are placed in the hands of the literate, organised and articulate within a village structure- usually the ones who can pay the hire costs - then this may provide a huge commercial and control opportunity. Imagine being the guy in the village who owns the only phone booth. He should be compensated for his maintenance, care and time, but it also creates opportunities for information control, extortion and deal making, not to mention cementing and expanding small, local monopolies by cutting out access to certain businesses. It's a bit like someone addressing a village meeting saying - "I have this new thing, it's called a gun. Does anyone have the money to hire it?" The rich guy running the brick factory steps forward and says "I do". That's not to say that good things can't happen. But for once I would like to see an experiment where someone, somewhere just foots the bill to give technology ONLY to the poorest of the poor instead of the power structures that run the village or district. Maybe nothing different would happen. Maybe the technology would be back in the hands of the powerful the next day. How much rice is a simputer worth? On the other hand, supervised, supported, guaranteed control by an INDEPENDENT body - again without cost to the user - might be worth a try. Could be interesting. Perry Morrison ------------ ***GKD is an initiative of the Global Knowledge Partnership*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.globalknowledge.org>
