okay, this has to be one of the COOLEST biomedical/biotechnological advancements in recent history. It reminds me again of that conversation we had on the drive up from white water rafting, about some Japanese businessman improving on the little details. Who knew that by improving existing WiFi technology, by using better antennas and fixed point-to-point system, you could help the visions of millions of people! Incredible...a must read.

Quoted: Thousands of residents of remote villages now have easy access to eye care thanks to a specially designed, wi-fi network.

Quoted: The study, being released today by I.B.M. and the Transportation Research Institute of the University of Michigan, notes that Indian automakers are plagued by a shortage of skilled workers, inferior product quality and deficient highway infrastructure, among other challenges.

Its authors, who interviewed 30 high-level executives and automotive experts in India, are confident that the industry will surmount the impediments to make India one of the world’s top 10 vehicle-producing countries by 2015. But they suggest that the Indian car market remains in a fairly primitive stage of development.

“Roads are the big problem,” said Allan Henderson, senior manufacturing consultant at I.B.M.’s Institute for Business Value. “The infrastructure needs to be improved more than you might think. There’s a number of problems, but they’re aware of them and they know what it takes to overcome them.”

Quoted: A new plant in Chennai could help the PC maker catch up with rivals in a market that's the computer world's Next Big Thing.

This will probably also help with Dell's marketing of Inspiron notebooks in Wal-mart--keeping manufacturing costs down. In my opinion, I think Dell's new partnership with Wal-Mart is as significant of a reason for opening this new factory in India, as India's growing PC market. I hope they don't make inferior quality products though...

Quote: Companies like Infosys are still profit machines, but rising wages, a strong rupee, and stiff competition from IBM, Accenture, and EDS pose challenges

Quote: Companies like Nokia and Indian-based Reliance are aggressively reaching out to consumers in a rapidly expanding market

I remember the days of waiting in line at the STD booths in Calcutta to make an international phone call. Then a few years ago when this boom started, I remember my mom telling me how my uncle's cleaning lady in Calcutta, had a cell phone, utilizing it to expand her clientelle base and staying on schedule for work...amazing!