A favorite phrase in Western Colorado, when one refers to a computer, is " I don't even know how to turn one on". Not everyone feels this way, of course, but an amazing number of people see no earthy benefit to computers or the Internet. Knowledge half-life, a term used to describe the interval of time, for half of a person's knowledge to become unusable and meaningless, is running about five years. If one works in a highly technical area, knowledge half-life can be as short as two years.

Perhaps the most striking example of the digital economy and the prosperity that it can bring rests with the history of the Google organization. In 1998 a Larry Page and Sergey Brin started with $100,000 while operating out of a low rent garage. Today, their Google organization has a market cap of approximately $218 billion dollars U.S. This equates to a little under $46,000 for every man woman and child in the state of Colorado. Clearly, computers, the Internet and the digital economy that has been created as a result, has created vast fortunes for those able to effectively use these modern tools.

Those adults that have no motivation to own & use a computer routinely rely on the typical local library for access to the Internet both for themselves and their children. The only problem with this approach is that a typical rural library is open only a relative few hours a week. In the case of local libraries here, for example, they are open only 41 hours out of a possible 168 hours a week. If one assumes a 4:00 PM normal work quitting time, the library Internet access is available a scant 11 after work hours a week out of the 127 hours possible. Then there is the issue of only a relatively few PC's being available at any one time to the hundreds of students and additional numbers of adults that might need to use them. None of this, in my mind, paints a very desirable picture for anyone trying to learn to use a computer or access needed information on the Internet.

While it is critical for students to learn how to use a computer and access information on the Internet, recent studies show that too much time on the computer can be a distraction to learning. All too often functions such as "My Space", "You tube" and video games end up being little more than mind candy to students. Computers and the Internet are nothing more than sophisticated modern tools. They can be used to greatly improve a persons life or they can be used to simply waste time. The choice is up to the user.

Rural communities often do not have a major university near by. Students and adults alike often don't have the time or resources to travel long distances to learning centers. For these people, the Internet is starting to offer valuable alternatives. MIT is now offering a series of on-line courses and videos that can be accessed by anyone with a computer and Internet connection. Yale, as well, is offering free on-line learning opportunities. Lacking effective public mass transit resources in rural areas and facing ever increasing fuel costs, I see computers and the Internet playing an ever increasingly important role in rural learning processes.

As the old saying goes, often, the best things in life are free. As the pages in this section demonstrate, many of the resources related to computers and the Internet are absolutely free of charge. Linux if free and a near perfect drop-in replacement for Windows® software. The important Zotero plugin for the Firefox browser is free and is typical of what is available from the open source arena.

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• Cloud Computing - Run Video
• Computer Use In Schools
• Digital Prosperity
• Digital Prosperity Full Report
• 10 Hrs a Week = $10 Millon
• Kids & Computers
• Rehab Older Computers
• MIT On-Line Courses
• Yale Free On-Line Learning
• UC Berkeley Courses
• University of California TV
• Zotero Firefox Plugin
• Flickr Website