Technovelopment Tools
Top Tech Trends in 2008
We may be just a few days into 2008, but already there are some signs of new technologies and new applications that will shake our world up over the coming year... Let's take a look and see if any of these offer new tools or new potential on the economic development side of things.
At first glance, 2008 brings a lot more of the same, just with more bells and whistles. Apple will release its iPhone 2.0, with a few extra features like GPS. HDTV will continue to drive new TV sales in the developing [...]The $100 Laptop and the Digital Divide
For a few years now, Nicholas Negroponte and his colleagues at MIT have been working to engineer a fully functioning laptop that will sell for $100. Through the "One Laptop Per Child Foundation", they hope to make computing power freely available to young people around the world, tackling the challenge of the digital divide head on.
What is the digital divide? Basically, it's the notion that wealthy, educated individuals are quick to adopt new tools and new technologies. They have the financial [...]WiPOT, GrameenPhone and the Last Mile
In my last post, I promised that I’d take a look at some specific examples of new and emerging technologies that could play a huge role in furthering development efforts.
Most people have heard of Moore’s Law, a computing maxim that suggests that with price held constant, the processing power of computers will double every 24 months. Less well known, though no less powerful, is Gilder’s Law, named for the American writer George Gilder. Gilder’s Law suggests that the cost of transferring (or “communicating”) [...]Peace, Love and Big Screen Televisions
The Napoleon Factor
Summary:Concerning French Invasions, the cost of Telephone Calls, and why we need Another Blog
During the Napoleonic Wars - or so the story goes - the British were terrified that the French Emperor Napoleon was poised to assemble an invasion fleet, sail across the English Channel, and march on London. To prevent this from happening, the British government created an early warning system, which - given the technology of the day - consisted entirely of one man standing on the south coast of England with a very large bell.
If this damp and lonely watchman happened to spy a French fleet on the [...]