thanks go out to ambiguous.org for this little piece on why it makes sense to give internet to the poor. even if bill gates seems to think that we should give them medicine and food first.

don’t get me wrong, medicine and food are important, but information and access to knowledge are equally important, and in the long-term probably more important. while sending food to the starving will save millions of lives, it does nothing about the long-term desolation and hopelessness. but giving access to knowledge and information, the basic ingredients of our thriving western world is a whole different matter.

but in the words of quinn at ambiguous.org

we can do this the hard way or the easy way. we can send doctors in and pay them, equipment in and support it. we can split the difference and send them thousands of little packets of ORS with strawberry or grape flavoring. or, we can send in the net, and they only have to get through to the information once. when the doctors are gone because funding was cut and the packets have all run out, the net connection can even go away, but when their kid’s gone all pale and can’t hold down their unicef wafer, they’re remember how to make ORS.

Clean Water – 1 liter – 5 cupfuls (each cup about 200 ml.)
One level teaspoon of salt
Eight level teaspoons of sugar

thanks for saying what i think