Computing in the Barrenness of the Sahara: The Desert PC

With all of the data provided, it can be relatively easy to misunderstand the nature of the project that I have proposed. I now turn my attention to the ICT that works in conjunction with the mentioned PV/thermal technologies: the “Desert PC.” This section and the subsequent, epitomize the heart of the discussion, where it is demonstrated how an ICT can bring change to rural communities. The International Executive Service Corps (IESC) Geekcorps coined the term Desert PC to refer to a PC that was created in order to address the technological needs of the impoverished population living in the Saharan regions of Mali (Geekcorps, 2009). The result of the investigation was a PC that could withstand the Sahara Desert’s inescapable dust and extreme temperatures which often exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius). The Desert PC is composed of a sealed, fanless system. It contains a rugged aluminum case paired with an internal heat pipe for passive cooling, a solid-state hard disk to eliminate moving parts, and a Linux distribution (Kunnafonix), customized by IESC to minimize the number of disk writes. In addition, while normal computers consume at least 300 watts of electricity, the Desert PC consumes only 35 watts or less of power. The advantage of having such low power consumption renders it suitable for energy sources like solar panels (Geekcorps, 2009).