Environmental damage through a proliferation of laptops seems to me to be probably indisputable, but what’s the alternative? Is it fair for rich countries to consume vast amounts of resources but stop poor countries having access to the same services ‘for the good of the world’? Can we really in good conscience deny other people what we take for granted? Perhaps if we were sending out hundreds of millions of Macs or PCs there might be an argument here, but the XOs are massively less damaging to the world than any of those devices.
Quotes
Mobile Telephony as a Disruptive Force
These are the text messages that preach a radical and dangerous message. These are the messages that tell me all that is good about me on account of my ethnic identity and all that is wrong with the Other on account of their ethnic roots. These are the sometimes hysterical text messages that justify hardline stances and violence visited upon the Other simple because they are Other. These are the text messages that call on the recipient to act in a certain way on the basis of their ethnicity, and further, to regard the Other or act upon Other in a certain way because of their ethnicity. What makes these subversive messages spread by mobile phone most sinister though, is the ability to select for audience. It is one thing to broadcast subversive messages on Radio as was the case in Rwanda, and is alarmingly the case with some vernacular radio stations in Kenya.
Is it possible to make an upcycled mobile phone entirely from recycled materials? One that consumers will want to buy? How about at a price that puts it within reach of the mass market?
Becky Faith 