notes
Friday, 10 January 2003Pedalpowered Internet connections in Laos
The Jhai Foundation is a group dedicated to reconciliation - between a family from the Plain of Jars in Laos, "per capita the most bombed place on Earth" and one man who took part in that bombing.
"Our Remote IT Village project responds to villagers express needs for telecommunications, business opportunities, and enhanced education for their children through the development of a solid-state, low-wattage computer that can be powered by a foot-crank, a high-bandwidth wireless network, and support for village small businesses."
This is a brilliant story - progressing the appropriate technology idea to accessible computing. At an estimated US$400 per Jhai PC we're in a different league to the hand cranked baygen wind-up radio - an engineering feat itself. But the Jhai appliance is part of a broader project to directly support local business needs.
via Pedalbetriebener Internet-Anschluss. [heise online news] > [Der Schockwellenreiter]
The more I'm diving into it, the more it gets exciting. Click the previous and next buttons. And visit Hans's homepage. It's worth it. [The Cartoonist] 
Pen Love. More vintage catalogues of old pens, nibs, holders and fountain pens can be found at Hans Presto's website. This is actually the best website about pens I've come across so far. And let's not forget the Carl Barks Esterbrook! [The Cartoonist]