On Sun, May 31, 2009 at 6:05 PM, Thomas
Dalton<thomas.dalton(a)gmail.com>wrote;wrote:
2009/5/31 Ray
Saintonge<saintonge(a)telus.net>et>:
Assuming that I were somewhere in rural Africa,
and perfectly
functioning hardware with Wikipedia software loaded in dropped in front
of me from the sky like a magic Coke bottle from the Gods, how much
would I then be able to use that gift to get a better yield from my
little patch of poor farm-land?
Wikipedia could be *part* of a solution, it's never going to be a
solution on its own. Wikipedia could be useful as part of an education
system, but it can't be the whole thing.
I just found another statistic. Mobile networks cover roughly 80-90% of the
worlds population.
For them, using that mobile network is probably the most cost effective
solution. For the rest, giving them enough of an education to have the
means to come live with the rest of us, is probably the most cost effective
solution.
You also found any statistics on what prices for internet access through
mobile networks are? What proportion of the world's people can afford a
internet connection in the first place, and how many can afford a
connection which is useful to browse wikipedia?
I'm just curious as I know someone - a westerner - working in Africa and
finding internet access hideously expensive. (chat and email ok, but she
tells that she avoids browsing the net as the cost is per downloaded MB)