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I think you're missing something - you don't need to be connected to the internet constantly in order for the internet to be very valuable to you. If you have
by VikingCoder 13y ago
I think you're missing something - you don't need to be connected to the internet constantly in order for the internet to be very valuable to you. If you have access once a week for 30 minutes, that's a lot more than never. That's enough to send emails and keep in touch with the outside world in new ways.
- mtdewcmu 13y agoIf the balloons could be controlled accurately enough to provide internet access at a specific time each week, then you have a point. But if they fly over unpredictably, guided by the wind, then it's not going to be nearly as useful.
- VikingCoder 13y agoUtility is not binary. If they provide intermittent access to people who've never had it before, that's a huge deal.
- mtdewcmu 13y agoThe site linked here has a tone of triumphalism, but you can tell from other information about this project that Google is approaching this realistically. I like how Google's engineer said that they're expecting many more iterations of prototypes. No one in Africa is going to be grateful for a system that's a nonworking pile of junk. Whether or not it's worth rolling out will depend on how well it works technically, and that will become clear through testing.