Jamil and I have returned on the louage from Sousse. There was a world

traveller from Chile whose work is as a stonecutter. He has seen much

in his days and shares with us his rich wisdom and experiences. He is

extraordinarily well read of almost all cultures, it seems, and speaks

English and French nearly without flaw or accent; other languages are

not unfamiliar to him either. Jamil, Juan, and I discussed

determinism, the summit, travel, poetry, America, and most of all,

Tunisia. Juan was getting a little tired of the country, having spent

a month here. He's to leave in two days for Spain, where he'll follow

the pilgrimmage of St. Peter, which he has done several times

before. He shows us his Chilean passport. It is full, with stamps from

around the world. I hope my passport looks like that when I am

53. Juan finds Tunisians exceedingly hospitable and generous at the

same time as being materialistic and atimes petty. The louage stops

twice; once for gas (and tea) and once to steal a passenger from

another louage.

At the barbershop where Walid is getting a shave prior to our dinner

with his aunt, the barbers are discussing the $100 laptop Negroponte

demoed. American music is playing from a boombox in the corner.

I wonder about wealth, poverty, and opportunity. I think that an

equal-opportunity meritocracy is the ideal system, but will we ever

see truly equal opportunity? The answer is obviously not, but like

with any idealistic goal it's more about the quest towards this goal

than its accomplishment. When all people can afford a computer, an

always-on broadband connection, food, clothing, and a room of their

own, I think we'll be at a very, very good point. And we're

tantalizingly close. With the $100 computer launch, with WiMax and

other low-cost, widespread, quickly-deployed, high-speed access

techniques, we're just pulling around the corner to an age where smart

people everywhere can contribute meaningfully and be recognized, both

with respect and real money, for those contributions.