The Red Dust of Africa
September, 2006
By Dan Shine, 50x15 Program Director

Greetings from 30,000 feet.

Regular readers of 50x15 Connections will recall that last December we talked about the momentous changes taking place in Africa. It's true what they say - the red dust of Africa settles in the heart, and you will always long to return. I spend a great deal of time there these days building new partnerships and extending the reach of 50x15 and its growing portfolio of solutions far across the continent. The amazing spirit and hope of the people there, especially the children, are inspiring and deeply motivating for everyone at AMD.

In the September issue, you'll get an exclusive look at the wonderful progress we're making in Uganda. Dirt roads may be a cliché, but at the end of those roads are children who intuitively understand that access to the Internet and computing technology are keys to their future.

Moving to the lower hemisphere, you'll also read about the first Connect the World contest - a unique initiative AMD has implemented in Latin America that has united teachers and students in a grand quest to develop the next generation of Internet technology. You'll also have an opportunity to hear from 4,000 unique members of the 50x15 family who are helping us move more effectively toward our goal of enabling half of the world's population with Internet access by the year 2015.

For those readers attending AMD's Global Vision Conference this week in Pasadena, welcome. You have a special opportunity to engage with some of the founding father's of digital inclusion - people like Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman of the One Laptop Per Child organization; John Gage at Sun Microsystems; David Kirkpatrick, Senior Editor at Fortune Magazine; Flávio Pimenta, Director of Meninos Do Morumbi in Brazil; and of course Hector Ruiz, Chairman and CEO of AMD and founder of the company's 50x15 Initiative, as well as many others.

Wishing you red dust,

Dan Shine
50x15 Program Director