About: I run a startup in London which has produced and started distributing an ultra low-power computer, designed for use in rural Africa.

The E1 can't edit videos or play advanced games, but since it only uses 8W of power it can be powered by a cheap solar panel or a car battery and so operate in areas where other computers don't. It's Word and Excel compatible and can browse the web, and so provides a basic computing experience in remote areas.

We're a hardware company, but we're providing an end-user device that lets people contribute to the web, whether via blogs, wikipedia entries, or small business web-sites.

I'm working on another project, an "SMS Craigslist for Africa" (Gumtree for those in the UK). Users in, say, Rwanda upload a classified ad by SMS to a local access number. It goes online immediately. Anyone can then send a text saying they are looking for a "generator, Toyota spare part, or Nokia N95" in Kigali and get an SMS back with all the matches (and numbers of sellers). Don't have the time/resources to do this on my own and would love to meet a partner interested in taking this to fruition (probably as a non-profit initially).

PS: Bit about me. I'm California born, Massachusetts bred, and currently ensconced in London. Adjective that describes me the most is probably "loquacious" (as this lengthy entry evinces), though nomadic is a second. Love photography: www.flickr.com/photos/aleutia