The Computer Age

Two quick things:

City-wide Wi-fi Networks

In case anyone hasn't noticed, broadband Internet is way more expensive than it has any right to be. Cable and DSL providers are soaking up the profits because they can charge whatever they want and people will pay it because they don't want to use dial-up access. As if that's not bad enough, the cost is rising. It wouldn't surprise me to see it hit $50/mo in the next few years.

Can you imagine an entire city having free wireless Internet? Anyone who has been on a college campus in recent years knows what it's like to be able to hop on a computer anywhere and be able to check your e-mail or whatever. This would be like that, except you'd be able to do that on a city bus, or a park bench. Hell, you could read a digital newspaper on a public toilet.

It could cost you $20/mo to get it in your home, which is still way cheaper than what you're probably paying now. Broadband could finally be the minimum standard, folks.


MIT's $100 Computer

MIT is developing a rugged laptop computer that it plans to mass-produce and sell in bulk to ministries of education for $100 each. Then they'll be distributed to every student in school. We're not talking about just the rich schools doing this, either. The goal is to give a laptop computer to every kid in the world. Pretty ambitious, but what a great idea! Check out some of the features they have planned for this bad boy:

Linux-based
Wi-Fi and cell phone enabled
peer-to-peer mesh network (your computer connects to other computers)
USB ports galore
hand-crank generator, providing 10min of power per 1m of cranking
carrying strap that converts into an A/C adaptor & cord)
full-color monitor that converts to B&W to reduce glare in direct sunlight

For more, check out the link above. They have pictures and lots of information. This is about the democratization of information!