The uptake on mobile phones in Africa is phenomenal.

The Internet has not become the great leveller that it was once thought it could be.

It's becoming clear that the world is listening, so now we're trying to get new groups of people talking.

If I use Facebook to stay in touch with my high school friends who are church-going Republicans, I may be getting more ideological diversity than in hanging out with secular progressives on the World Politics sub-reddit.

When I'm playing with circular saws, I'm offline (though often listening to podcasts) and when I sit in the cabin to read or write, it's wonderful to be offline for a few hours at a time.

People who know me well have learned to insist that I commit to obligations by opening my laptop and putting them onto the appropriate calendar or list - a verbal agreement and a promise to remember won't work.

The uptake on mobile phones in Africa is phenomenal.