its sad that people have to die because they don't have access to the technology that's not that expensive and readily available in the "developed countries".
And now we have to come up with some pathetic paper gizmos to justify our actions? Are we really that developed? Seems to me that we are going backwards...
paper centrifuge? its like a slap on the face.
And how are the inventors supposed to do that?
All the while that is getting built people need help now, and this clever adaptation of a toy fills that niche. Eventually they'll have access to the more advanced modern wonders, but for now this can help people almost immediately.
Initially? Has that changed now?
The founder, Nicholas Negroponte went on tear around the world claiming to have saved millions of children and being the father of tablet computing. He even talked about throwing OLPCs out of helicopters on to those brown and black masses. Even claimed that mothers would be better off getting a laptop than subsidized food. I recall he shat on some reporter who had the audacity to quote UNDP analysis that showed spending on lunch-at-school programs had far more impact than spending on teacher technology.
I'm actually far more optimistic these days about tech in difficult areas. The computing power (and screens!) we can get out of just a small battery is phenomenal compared to OLPC's time.
I did not meet any Negroponte fans out in the field.
Now implement it.
Paper Centrifuge s seems like one of many reasonable stopgaps until your better solution is realized. It'd be sad if we let people die simply because we looked down on practical solutions for not being high-tech enough.
How does this make the West go backward? The researches are helping to improve the situation.
If you are so concerned, you can go donate to charities that distribute vaccines.
Iraq - Iran - 1 million dead Vietnam - up to 4 million dead Afghanistan - up to 1.5 million dead
+ trillions of dollars we spent to support all of this.
"Expensive" is relative, and the technology has extra costs outside of itself that have been paid in some parts of the world, but not in others. In a part of the world where electricity may as well be unobtainium, that heavy, carefully-calibrated, $1000 centrifuge isn't much better than the scrap value of the metal it's made from (while still being obscenely, prohibitively expensive for the people it would help).
> justify our actions
Who's talking about justification, besides you? There isn't anything to justify.
> Are we really that developed?
We've got shinier toys, if you want to call that "developed". We haven't improved upon the human race itself, if that's what you mean. Humans are naturally selfish and tribal. Society shifts tribal boundaries, and social structures like government can force selfishness into a longer-term view, but that's about all.