We collected prices by calling, visiting cafes, emailing, and via cafes' published rates on the internet.
There is no guarantee that all of our prices are perfect repesentations. Even sampling 20 or 30 cafes in a country that houses 20,000 is too limited of a sample to be called definitive.
In some cases, we may reevaluate our data if we can get solid evidence that our prices are wrong. Again, this is a piece meant to illustrate the divides between many countries and regions. Even since this map was originally published, prices have begun to drop in Nigeria thanks to better regulation.
Perhaps these numbers should be revised and revisited on a yearly basis.
Also, please do not consider this project to be a "Study". It is meant to illustrate a point, if loosely. but not to be a definitive-end-all-be-all study.
Just a quick response to many of the excellent points made in the comments so far:
1. "Hey, I was in X country and the price was cheaper/more expensive!" Yes, prices vary dramatically across nearly every country. When we compiled this data we were seeking out numbers that best represented the most common price in a particular country. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, you can pay $15 U.S for access if you want, but you can also find places who offer it for $3. These numbers are in no way meant to accuraly represent every price of every internet cafe in every country.
2. What do the grey areas represent? Aren't there more countries with high poverty levels? Grey countries were not included in this survey. Data may have existed for them, but this was originally published in print, and we had a limted amount of space. And yes, many, many other countries live on less than $1 per day. We simply picked a representative sampling.
3. Why do people who live on $1 per day need to worry about internet access?
Good question. First of all, don't literally think of "$1 per day" to mean just that. The point of this exercise was to show that Cafe prices don't often serve their local populations, due to the fact that they're too expensive. The $1 figure is simply an effective way to point out countries with large populations of people living in poverty.
Why do poor people need the internet? Well, often the internet is considered to be a great democratizing and equalizing force. The people who most need equalizing are people who live in poverty. If they can't afford to get on the internet, then how is it improving their lives? Maybe through indirect means?
In any case, our goal was simply to inspire people to ask questions like these. We seem to have been successful. Thanks for your comments!
See this interesting short piece in FP about how military contractors, the Office of Naval Research and Law enforcement agencies are testing plogs on their projects and networks.
You're lucky. Even in this day and age, many DTP machines aren't on the internet, or they're on an internet-enabled network wihout any ports open. Newspapers, magazines, etc. Many still function this way.
I just hope quark beefs up the phone support.
So when adobe's webserver was down, what did you do? Could you use the software?
I should have been more clear. I only run top-notch hardware and software. I maintain and assemble it myself.
Still hardware fails. Anyone who is serious about keeping systems running builds in redundancies, if the redundancy is a cloned system, ready to boot at a moment's notice.
If a computer fails, I should be able to install the application that I ran on the dead machine onto the new one without delay. With Quark 6, I'm unable to do that without running through a drawn-out reactivation process (Ideally, in this case, they want a freaking hard copy of a form faxed to them verifying the fact you're switching installations!!!)
Based on my experience with the initial installation, quark has much to learn from microsoft in the realm of product activiation. Quark's system is a nightmare.
Again, I haven't used Adobe's system yet. I'm basing all of these comments on my experience with the quark scheme.
Ok, usually I don't reply to my own post, but I should make a few clarifications:
1. I'm basing my crash problems on Quark 6 which I have little experience using so far. Previous versions of quark are notoriously buggy so I don't expect this one to be much better.
2. Also, I'm basing my knowledge of activation on Quark's current scheme. They only allow installation on one harddrive. (2 if you pay an extra fee for a "mobile") If that harddrive, or anything else on that machine fails, you're fucked. You can make 5 hardware changes to a system over the course of a year, but if you make 6, the software shuts down.
3. I'm also basing this reaction on my experience activating 3 copies of quark 6, not adobe.
The software has a built-in activation application that is supposed to function over the internet, BUT it doesn't function through a firewall. So, all three of my copies had to be activated by phone. This process took about 2 hours.
I was not a happy camper.
I hope Adobe does a better job at managing this process.
I use quark and various adobe products for DP work and I have to meet deadlines. When it's 8 pm and I have to ship files by 8:45, I can't spend time troubleshooting an installation of a product that just went haywire. I don't have time to spend 2 hours on the phone with customer support figuring out how to RE-activate. (the activiation codes in quark are roughly 40 numbers long. 40 numbers!!!. Try communicating that over the phone line with a guy in india.
My old solution: I have another computer with the same software installed. When one goes down, I drop it like and empty bic lighter and fire up the other one. No problem.
With software activation, I can't set up this failsafe without blowing my department's budget.
Slashdot Mirror
LincolnQ, these are great reccomendations.
This piece was originally published in print as a map, but the same date would translate better on the web as a scatter chart.
Again, thanks for feedback and comments.
We collected prices by calling, visiting cafes, emailing, and via cafes' published rates on the internet.
There is no guarantee that all of our prices are perfect repesentations. Even sampling 20 or 30 cafes in a country that houses 20,000 is too limited of a sample to be called definitive.
In some cases, we may reevaluate our data if we can get solid evidence that our prices are wrong. Again, this is a piece meant to illustrate the divides between many countries and regions. Even since this map was originally published, prices have begun to drop in Nigeria thanks to better regulation.
Perhaps these numbers should be revised and revisited on a yearly basis.
Also, please do not consider this project to be a "Study". It is meant to illustrate a point, if loosely. but not to be a definitive-end-all-be-all study.
Thanks for everyone's feedback!
tcd004
Just a quick response to many of the excellent points made in the comments so far:
1. "Hey, I was in X country and the price was cheaper/more expensive!"
Yes, prices vary dramatically across nearly every country. When we compiled this data we were seeking out numbers that best represented the most common price in a particular country. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, you can pay $15 U.S for access if you want, but you can also find places who offer it for $3. These numbers are in no way meant to accuraly represent every price of every internet cafe in every country.
2. What do the grey areas represent? Aren't there more countries with high poverty levels?
Grey countries were not included in this survey. Data may have existed for them, but this was originally published in print, and we had a limted amount of space. And yes, many, many other countries live on less than $1 per day. We simply picked a representative sampling.
3. Why do people who live on $1 per day need to worry about internet access?
Good question. First of all, don't literally think of "$1 per day" to mean just that. The point of this exercise was to show that Cafe prices don't often serve their local populations, due to the fact that they're too expensive. The $1 figure is simply an effective way to point out countries with large populations of people living in poverty.
Why do poor people need the internet? Well, often the internet is considered to be a great democratizing and equalizing force. The people who most need equalizing are people who live in poverty. If they can't afford to get on the internet, then how is it improving their lives? Maybe through indirect means?
In any case, our goal was simply to inspire people to ask questions like these. We seem to have been successful. Thanks for your comments!
Tcd004
I think so.
tcd004
See this interesting short piece in FP about how military contractors, the Office of Naval Research and Law enforcement agencies are testing plogs on their projects and networks.
Tcd004
With a series of ads.
tcd004
Here's a great hack for fixing a broken mouse
Tcd004
I'd like to remind everyone that the greatest computer ever created runs Mac osX native. As if it woudn't.
tcd004
My god! Look what it did to my website!
Tcd004
using technology that hasn't already been tested and proven through 40 years of rigorous use.
That's why I use Not@Home cable service.
tcd004
Redundant? What?
These babies run silent.
tcd004
WARNING:
ATM FRAUD
tcd004
At Not@Home Internet service, we're riding the top of the tech wave. Check out our state-of-the-art facility.
tcd004
You're lucky. Even in this day and age, many DTP machines aren't on the internet, or they're on an internet-enabled network wihout any ports open. Newspapers, magazines, etc. Many still function this way.
I just hope quark beefs up the phone support.
So when adobe's webserver was down, what did you do? Could you use the software?
tcd004
I should have been more clear. I only run top-notch hardware and software. I maintain and assemble it myself.
Still hardware fails. Anyone who is serious about keeping systems running builds in redundancies, if the redundancy is a cloned system, ready to boot at a moment's notice.
If a computer fails, I should be able to install the application that I ran on the dead machine onto the new one without delay. With Quark 6, I'm unable to do that without running through a drawn-out reactivation process (Ideally, in this case, they want a freaking hard copy of a form faxed to them verifying the fact you're switching installations!!!)
Based on my experience with the initial installation, quark has much to learn from microsoft in the realm of product activiation. Quark's system is a nightmare.
Again, I haven't used Adobe's system yet. I'm basing all of these comments on my experience with the quark scheme.
tcd004
Ok, usually I don't reply to my own post, but I should make a few clarifications:
1. I'm basing my crash problems on Quark 6 which I have little experience using so far. Previous versions of quark are notoriously buggy so I don't expect this one to be much better.
2. Also, I'm basing my knowledge of activation on Quark's current scheme. They only allow installation on one harddrive. (2 if you pay an extra fee for a "mobile") If that harddrive, or anything else on that machine fails, you're fucked. You can make 5 hardware changes to a system over the course of a year, but if you make 6, the software shuts down.
3. I'm also basing this reaction on my experience activating 3 copies of quark 6, not adobe.
The software has a built-in activation application that is supposed to function over the internet, BUT it doesn't function through a firewall. So, all three of my copies had to be activated by phone. This process took about 2 hours.
I was not a happy camper.
I hope Adobe does a better job at managing this process.
I use quark and various adobe products for DP work and I have to meet deadlines. When it's 8 pm and I have to ship files by 8:45, I can't spend time troubleshooting an installation of a product that just went haywire. I don't have time to spend 2 hours on the phone with customer support figuring out how to RE-activate. (the activiation codes in quark are roughly 40 numbers long. 40 numbers!!!. Try communicating that over the phone line with a guy in india.
My old solution: I have another computer with the same software installed. When one goes down, I drop it like and empty bic lighter and fire up the other one. No problem.
With software activation, I can't set up this failsafe without blowing my department's budget.
softare activation wankers
tcd004
on Jesus's palm pilot
tcd004
Yeah, they agreed to a list of stuff.
tcd004
The G5 is great, but it doesn't hold a candle to my Powerstack 5000.
Maybe because it's processor is based on this bad boy.
Tcd004
I remember when they issued this bogus statement about their impending breakup.
Yes, it is a joke.
tcd004
You'd never have these kinds of software problems with a
tcd004
Just follow these easy step-by-step instructions.
tcd004
For your viewing pleasure: A copy of a subpoena from the RIAA.
Tcd004