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Re: The $100 laptop
by Tom Poe
5 years ago, there was a scheme hatched to use donated computers from a developed nation such as the United States, which would be shipped to a developing nation, and instantly (within a few weeks) bring an entire nation into the digital age. Bangladesh had 68,000 communities. The cost to ship the computers broke down to $700 per community, per year. This cost would be handled through microfinancing methods by nonprofit bank. The cost of gathering the donated computers and preparing them for shipping, would cost something close to $9 to $12 million. This cost would be raised through marketing agreements with corporate sponsors who recognize the value of bringing an emerging market on board, of some 250 million potential customers. Would you rather provide each community in a developing nation with a computer that is state-of-the-art audio and visual media ready, or the program you describe that costs these countries more than 10 to 20 times as much? Of course, the cockamamie scheme I offered as an example, is but one such alternative that the policy makers continually reject in favor of greed and corruption by the powers that be. By the way, you interested in bringing meshed networking capability to our schoolchildren?
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