Author asks whether new communications technologies can solve global development problems, or are they just a new way to make old mistakes? Examines the assumption that if you move data around instead of physical objects, then you can reduce pollution and energy use significantly. For example, analyses need to include environmental costs of the computers and networks themselves.
In the Peruvian Amazon, western-style education destroyed local knowledge, says the author. But trained indigenous teachers are restoring confidence in traditional values.
