http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXcC204XO6g

A number of people I've talked to mentioned that they liked the ad at the end of my entry (Pkicktalk) with the disappearing gadgets, but thought it shouldn't be at the end.... I don't disagree, so I posted it as its own entity on YouTube if anyone wants to just check that out!

I was thinking last night about some of the technology I've seen in developing countries and it would be neat to hear some dialogue. It seems to me that in most places, besides with the introduction recently of the OLPC that technology gets passed onto developing communities in 3rd world countries. There's a huge market for technology in the world, and it seems silly that countries aren't developing and marketing to some of those places. I thought the Motofone F3 was a neat product, http://www.motorola.com/consumer/v/i...ow=productHome , but I don't think it took off too well.

I talk to people on facebook, email and skype in Africa as I mention in my video entry, but a statistic in "The Economist" said that the total number of people with internet access in all of Africa is similar to the number in Ireland. There are 800 million people in Africa! But think about this. One of the biggest growing industries in Africa has been the cell phone market. Countries couldn't afford the infrastructure of landlines, and so cell phones have rocketed in sales. People who never had phones now can call me in Cleveland, Ohio. It's pretty crazy. So will Web 2.0 have the same effect as cell phones, thus skipping Web 1.0 just as landline phones never took off?

There are a number of fiber optic initiatives in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans to build capacity, and wimax had potential in Africa, but what uses of technology can be developed for 3rd world countries? Micro-financing has taken off because of the internet and there's a lot of potential for more. I think the technology is around, but what software can be useful for what? It's only fair for everyone in the world to have the same opportunities, and that's the beauty of the internet... it's an equal platform!

Just something to think about . . . Good luck voting for those of you that are still thinking about this!
-Aaron