He earned the phone back in Uganda, from a volunteer doctor. In his village, he was one of the men who learned to maintain, repair, and protect the village generator. He also made sure the doctor's technical equipment would remain freshly charged - including her phone.
One night, she did not remember to take the phone home. In the middle of the night, he woke up to a strange noise; it disappeared before he could find it. An hour later, it happened again, and it was gone before he could find the noise - but he found the phone. An hour later, the phone chirped in his hand, and he knew he had found it.
The next morning, he returned the phone to the very grateful doctor, who explained that the noise was to keep crickets out of her room. There happened to be a cricket nearby as she was talking to him; she set the phone to 'chirp', and the cricket couldn't hop away fast enough! And that gave the young man an idea.
His mother's garden was suitably fortified from larger animals, but it didn't keep out the crickets. He bargained with the doctor, and she gave him the phone, teaching him how it worked. He made a scarecrow for his mother, with a place in the scarecrow's head to hold the phone. He set the phone to 'chirp' a few times each hour, throughout the night. A month later, his mother served their first dinner harvested from her garden.
That was two years ago. Last month, he had been given a plane ticket to the US, to talk to churches and look at colleges. But he dreamed of making a dozen more scarecrows, for the entire village - which
brought him to my store.
The phone was retired - but the chirp wasn't. I helped him find the sound on some of our display phones, and sold him a dozen floor models for 20% retail. The kid knows how to bargain.
inspired by Discover Magazine article, "Low-Tech Solutions for High Stakes Problems"
One night, she did not remember to take the phone home. In the middle of the night, he woke up to a strange noise; it disappeared before he could find it. An hour later, it happened again, and it was gone before he could find the noise - but he found the phone. An hour later, the phone chirped in his hand, and he knew he had found it.
The next morning, he returned the phone to the very grateful doctor, who explained that the noise was to keep crickets out of her room. There happened to be a cricket nearby as she was talking to him; she set the phone to 'chirp', and the cricket couldn't hop away fast enough! And that gave the young man an idea.
His mother's garden was suitably fortified from larger animals, but it didn't keep out the crickets. He bargained with the doctor, and she gave him the phone, teaching him how it worked. He made a scarecrow for his mother, with a place in the scarecrow's head to hold the phone. He set the phone to 'chirp' a few times each hour, throughout the night. A month later, his mother served their first dinner harvested from her garden.
That was two years ago. Last month, he had been given a plane ticket to the US, to talk to churches and look at colleges. But he dreamed of making a dozen more scarecrows, for the entire village - which
brought him to my store.
The phone was retired - but the chirp wasn't. I helped him find the sound on some of our display phones, and sold him a dozen floor models for 20% retail. The kid knows how to bargain.
inspired by Discover Magazine article, "Low-Tech Solutions for High Stakes Problems"
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