I wonder why no one mentioned the parallel between the use of hand-held calculators and the perceived degradation of math skills among us and your own vision of hand-held computers who do linguistically, much the same thing (or might)?
It was reassuring to see comments made relative to the human and humane needs of individuals, especially those in under-developed area of the world. Your [Alessi, 1 Mar 96] retort that hunger, homelessness, and plague are but a portion of the help needed, and that education (as well as cultural, psychological and other areas) must also occur concurrently is a point well-taken, one which UNESCO has been working on for decades.