Last week, I sent the following idea within Google. I also ran it by my pal, Jeremy, who is one of the best (and nicest) engineers I know:


Walking by Amit's geodisplay is both fascinating and troubling. While most of the world is connected and reaching out, much of Africa is literally in the dark. Much of Africa has been plagued by weak institutions, food shortages, health crises and civil war. In fact, civil war has been a huge obstacle to development in Africa, with roughly 3 wars and 14 violent conflicts according to the World Bank.

The Middle East also has its fair share of challenges and while it is much more connected than Africa, conflict continues to wreck all prospects for growth. There is a "cash for weapons" program in Iraq that might be a good short term solution, but it doesn't provide tools, opportunity, and most importantly, self-esteem.

My idea is for Google to lead a consortium of technology companies including Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco to bring wireless technology and computers to the Middle East and Africa. We would provide technology, training and support for the initiative with the objective of brining more people online and more opportunity to generations lost in war.


While folks seemed to like the idea, there wasn't a lot of "oomph". Perhaps I should try to work on this outside of work.