VIA Expands Cooperation with Geekcorps

by Marco Chiappetta — Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 11:45 AM EDT

VIA Expands Cooperation with Geekcorps to Empower Remote Mali Communities

Unique, sustainable technology deployments, "Cybertigi" and desert community radio stations highlight VIA pc-1 benefits in harsh environments

Taipei, Taiwan, 27 February 2007 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced its continued cooperation with international IT development group, Geekcorps, to empower thousands of people through the deployment of specialized, sustainable information and communication technology (ICT) in Mali, including "Cybertigi" mobile cyber service vendors and desert community radio stations.

Mali, the 4th poorest country in the world with an average annual income of just US$1,200, is home to nearly 12 million people, most in rural communities with 64% below the poverty line and 60% illiterate. Much of the country is desert, so temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius and dust pollution are common. The extreme poverty, scarcity of natural resources and poor communication between villages makes the region susceptible to conflict, so Geekcorps, in partnership with USAID, is approaching these problems with innovative technology solutions. READ MORE...

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Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com