[Kictanet] Poor Nations Are Littered With Old PC's: Lets be careful!

[Alex Gakuru]

Wainaina I respect your "orange throwing" and Dorcas, but before I retract my call please answer the following:-
 
1. I bought a 486 DX2 66 MHz in 1992 ( Then a state of the art PC with a COLOUR monitor) at Kshs 200,000/=. Is my PC and environmental harzard today?
 
2. Take a stock count of PCs in all governement offices( for offices who had "kuoona mbee" those past years). What processors do they have?. Again are these environmental harzards?
 
3. A benchmark commonly used to rate efficient operating system such as "it even runs as very fast on a 486 ....) to show there is no need to upgrade that old precious PC.. WSIS debate on internet governance does not EMPHASISE we DO NOT HAVE INTERNET. Only 0.32% of Kenyans have it - and who are these?
 
4. What local hardware industry are we talking about? 10,000 PC/month importers godowns? I seem to recall that the last assembler MECCER had problems at the EPZ (and they closed shop?). There does not exist that industry in any economic sensible size. And don't call me an assembler when I open my PC to add a NIC, TV card... that is just a hobby! Until this industry is in place, then it remains a just wish-list item that should not hold us back.
 
5. An American is using that PC today and will it become poisonous and "litter poor Kenya" immediately after the 10-year manufucturer set expiry lapse?
 
6. The author's angle "POOR nations are LITTERED with OLD PCs" only reinforces "African Pessimism" Why not "The US and Europe overwhelmed with envoironmentaly harzardous expired PCs"? Sometimes one does not need to shift the paradigm, change the paradigm show the otherside of the mountain "leeward or wind-ward". 
 
7. Every technological advancement is actually an environmental hazard. Radiation causes cancer yet we need GSM, Radio, TV, Wireless communication, X-rays, MRI, even wireless office LANs. What I am saying is a realistic balance needs to be reached, basically after a proper cost-benefit anaysis. I have always said if the cost of technology dwarfs the benefit, then we should go bach to smoke signs, drums, runners, cooro etc for communication and throw away the modern costly communication paraphenaria and gizmos. 
 
8. Statistics is a very interesting field: Galileo died in prison for proclaiming the earth is not the centre of the universe. Statistically speaking his was an "abnormal" case, yet think of how NASA has benefited from his work. In short I refuse to be bogged down by plain statistics (ther  other day somebody even rubbished "Sang Yongs" data remember?) One easily plays around with data to project the "desired" scenario.
 
Because as of now I do not have these answers, I am afraid I remain banana-ed to my call. I hope I stated clearly that no payment should be made to  the dumpers ( and instead they should be made to pay us!) As such, this is not back-door advocacy for the wheeler-dealers re-seller, maintenance arrangements makers being referenced to.
 
I respect your fruits and your affinity to either or the pudding.
 
Regards,
 
Alex

		
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