On this week's iPM: coke, games and 'cell' phones
Some of Simon Berry's prototype aid-pods.
This week on iPM we looked again at some of the stories we've featured in the past year.
- Listener Simon Berry told us about his campaign to distribute aid via deliveries of Coca-Cola. You can read the lyrics to Eve Graham's updated song here.
- An update of our coverage of 'cell' phones, mobile phones smuggled into prisons
- The debate (see here and here) over whether massively multiplayer games are 'addictive' provoked thoughtful comments on the blog. We heard from listeners Dr Mike Reddy, Sarriss and Mark Folson
- And we said goodbye with a song from one of the talking computer programmes produced by Jabberwhacky
Another of our listeners featured on iPM has made the papers this week. Dr Richard Kirby, who spoke to us about plankton, has an exhibition of his photographs opening in the new year. You can see some of them in our slide-show here.
If you've a story you'd like us to follow up email us at ipm -at - bbc.co.uk, or leave a comment here.
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Of course if the mobile Network is jammed they will probably start using PMR radio's available for peanuts - or other small transmitters with short range coverage.
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The reason why Coca Cola is available in so many places is a simple matter of demand backed by the money to fulfil the demand. Whatever the distribution network, those who are part of it are making money out of every bottle passing along it.
Unfortunately, the people who need the aid don't have the money for basics never mind Coke. The Coke distribution is enforced because if the end user doesn't get his drink he won't pay. You can only get the distributors to distribute if you pay them. Who will pay them and ensure they do what they are paid for without the corrupt conversion of the available funds?
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A truly innovative way of thinking. One step at a time I guess but I wonder whether the tobacco industry has a view? Ken Clarke (dep chairman BAT) 98-07 may be your man.
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@cliffwalker
You are absolutely right about the fact that the Coca-Cola distribution system is so strong because it is driven by a profit motive and the last thing we want to do is damage that. It would be like killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
One hypothesis is that there is aid money available (and increasingly, in some cases, local national government money) to pay for distribution and that those distributing the ColaLife Pods should get paid for doing so. Although the cost would be very small especially when the 'wedge-shaped' pod is used as this doesn't displace a profit-carrying bottle.
Another thing that struck me when visiting Tanzania was the simple but effective control systems in place for distributing Coca-Cola: daily sales targets; proper accounting etc etc NGOs could learn from this too in order verify that the distribution of the pods was actually effective.
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