In "Africa Goes Online," Daniel Akst and Mike Jensen discuss the
             potential of the Internet in combating the "information famine" in Africa.
             In a country where there are little resources to spare for social services,
             virtual universities could bring learning to millions at a fraction of the
             cost of traditional schools. Educated residents in these countries would
             have a larger, global outlet to market their skills and services.
             The authors cite several case studies as examples of this potential.
             In Dakar, Senegal, for example, video link-ups allow medical students to
             study under a group of physicians from Brussels. Secondary students from
             Namibia are working on a website to showcase the important African
             entomological collections in the country's National Museum. An
             organization called SchoolNet Africa is teaching basic technology skills to
             children around the continent. Poverty and lack of infrastructure are
             significant problems, but activists are optimistic about their efforts.
             Much of the networks in Africa rely on technology like e-mail and
             newsgroups, though a growing number are using video and web technology.
             These networks allow people to exchange information about their services
             and their products or simply to keep in tough. A distant village in Uganda
             that only receives snail mail every few weeks, for example, now has a
             communal computer station that receives e-mail for every resident. More
             importantly, these technologies also have the potential to reach children
             in far-flung schools. By helping to ensure that the next generation of
             African children is technologically skilled, computers have much potential
             One thing that struck me about this article is the similarities and
             differences between Internet users in Westernized and African countries.
             ...