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Cameron Esfahani
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My name's Cameron, and I'm a undergraduate fourth year Computer Science major at UCSD. I'm originally from Torrance, CA (Los Angeles area), and have lived in California all my life. I have always been interested in computer hardware and software, robotics, aeronautics, and automotive technologies, however only recently began to gain an interest in using technology as a tool for economic expansion in developing countries. Over the summer, I spent a few months as an intern for eBay. There, I learned about the mechanics behind eBay MicroPlace, a program which gives small business loans to prospective business owners in developing countries. I was fascinated with the amount of progress the clients could make with loans as small as $50.Participants in the MicroPlace program were generally people who were skilled in crafts, carpentry, or other trades, but lacked the monetary resources required to get off the ground. Around the same time, the One Laptop per Child program began to gain popularity. This got me to begin thinking about the possibility of sparking businesses in developing countries aimed at developing and producing useful technologies.
I feel I can provide the group help with analysis of technical feasibility, approximation of technology cost, evaluation of demand for technologies, and anything else within my ability. I'm very excited about the project, and look forward to working with everyone!
* In the lab at 3 am finals week =)
I noticed you all got a bunch of scenic photos, so gimme a couple days and I'll get something a little more exciting up.
Interests and Ideas
Recently, I've been doing some thinking on where the best place to start development really is. At first I thought communication would be a great place to start. Long range communication (whether mobile or stationary) is critical for a country to produce a healthy, thriving economy. Communication fosters competition and encourages specialization, two properties known to be crucial for economic progress. The problem, however, arose when I got to thinking about the most useful applications of long range communication. In the case of relatively isolated villages, specifically those in which the primary form of transportation is by foot or animal, the uses for long range communication begin to drop. First of all, language differences may make communication impossible, especially when the languages being used are not well known. Even if communication were possible, villagers may not be able to gain trade benefits with nearby villages if travel is difficult.
That brought me to thinking about low cost modes of transportation. Of course the $2500 car came to mind, which shines in engineering efficiency. In the country of its production - India - it has a very strong market, and I look forward to seeing its impact on the quality of life. There were a few things I noticed about the Tata Nano that I thought didn't quite satisfy to my isolated village example:
1. Runs on Gasoline - The vehicle does get 50 mpg, however it does still use a gasoline engine. In my isolated village, there is no gasoline. Even if it were available, the difficult travel may make it expensive.
2. Road Required - While my isolated village most likely does have roads leading away from it, they definitely are not paved, and may be a little bit bumpy. The Nano's wheels look to be at most 8-9 inches (I haven't found any confirmed data of wheel size), and the ground clearance is tiny. The small wheels do improve fuel efficiency, but they do cause problems in this situation.
3. $2500 - While the sticker price may be a fraction of a similarly functional vehicle produced in America, $2500 is still a very expensive purchase for use in the isolate village.
With the decrease in cost of new fuel technologies such as hydrogen, biodiesel, and solar, I do believe it is feasible to provide the isolated village with effective energy, transportation, and communication technology, but it will take some planning...
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, Feb 6 2008, 12:39 PM EST
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