[kictanet] My Take: Affordable computers

[Bildad Kagai]

The problem with 'computer donations' is akin to Mau. It starts with  
small piles of 'decommissioned' monitors and CPUs in one classroom  
until you pro rata how many schools in Kenya have these rooms with  
dumped computers. We better deal with it now before its too late.

I do not see any problem with supporting large, rich, local or foreign  
computer vendors. That is the nature of capitalism but you sound like  
you are opposed to untrammeled workings of the economic market. You  
probably need a constitutional amendment to augment this logic.

If your actions and business in any way support making Kenya a green  
economy then, that is the best gift we can give to our children for  
posterity. WE have messed the economy, tribalised ourselves and  
cannibalized the wetlands. Can we at least not add the headache of  
dealing with dumped e-waste we received as donations??

I don't know why you have put me in this foul mood!!!!


On Aug 29, 2009, at 5:51 AM, Gakuru Alex wrote:

> Bill,
>
> I have a problem with generic 'demonising' of all second-hand/used  
> computers.
>
> My question is? when you sold your last "as-good as new" computer or
> device did you then not commit the grave e-dumping crime as defined by
> some here?
>
> If all are reading this and *all* their past emails ever from brand
> new computing devices they are excused.
>
> Would the "short version" of the problem solution be that *everyone*
> supports large, rich, local or foreign computer vendors to grow their
> enterprises because they are "environmental friendly" - all else
> notwithstanding? Just a question....
>
> Alex
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 11:26 AM, Bildad Kagai<billkagai at gmail.com>  
> wrote:
>>
>> On Aug 28, 2009, at 8:12 AM, Victor Gathara wrote:
>>
>>  I am thinking here of donations of used computers that can
>> make their way into the country through a regulated and monitored
>> channel (such as ComputerAid) who will also have responsibility to
>> ensure EOL disposal according to WEEE standards to prevent dumping of
>> electronic waste.
>>
>> Victor,
>> In your position, you know very well that these second had  
>> computers are not donations. You can ask Tony Roberts how much he  
>> is paid to dispose a computer from Barclays in UK, that eventually  
>> finds its way to a school in Mau. And the Mau school pays for  
>> shipping and other costs....but besides all these politics......DFID
>> might consider to fund a specific study comparing the final  
>> 'landed' cost of
>> a dumped computer versus a 'clone' assembled with new parts at  
>> Crescent
>> Technologies or JKUAT taking into consideration the kazi kwa vijana
>> created....if it has not been done already. PS. I am speaking as a
>> 'contributor' to this mess here, because I also have problems  
>> disposing my
>> old computers and printers in the office. Most of the times, its  
>> easier to
>> take them to a school in shags that cannot afford the electricity  
>> bills of
>> running them...and... just live with the guilt like everyone else  
>> despite
>> being labeled as The Hero who brought us computers.
>> One reason IBM sold its hardware unit was because Moores Law states  
>> over
>> time, the cost of hardware approaches zero and the cost of power  
>> consumption
>> and capacity of the hardware doubles every 18 months.  Thus,  
>> bringing 5 year
>> old computers to Kenya only drains too much power when we should  
>> strive to
>> bring consumption per watt down. At least, just based on power  
>> consumption
>> alone, dumped computer should never see the 'light of day' at the  
>> Kenyan
>> port if locally assembled computers will consume half of the wattage
>> today....especially now when everyone is striving to go green.
>> http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000868.html
>> Google, for example, has watched its energy consumption almost  
>> double during
>> the past three generations of upgrades to its sprawling computing
>> infrastructure. It recently unveiled a major new datacenter site in  
>> a remote
>> part of Oregon, where power costs are a fraction of those at  
>> Google's home
>> base in Silicon Valley. But cheap power may not be enough. Last  
>> year, Google
>> engineer Luiz Andr� Barroso predicted that energy costs would dwarf
>> equipment costs -- "possibly by a large margin" -- if power-hungry
>> datacenters didn't mend their ways. Barroso went on to warn that
>> datacenters' growing appetite for power "could have serious  
>> consequences for
>> the overall affordability of computing, not to mention the overall  
>> health of
>> the planet."
>>