How many remote controls are in your home? In my sparse Tokyo rabbit hutch I count 6: one for the air-conditioner; the fan; home music network; a couple for the computer, and this being Japan the bath. You probably have many more. The very fact that they take effort to maintain (misplaced, damaged, dead batteries) is a testament to their value – and if you’ll forgive the hyperbolic cut-to-the-chase – they allow you transcend space – reach across the room in a way that allows you to stay comfortably in the sofa, in your zone. They are convenience defined.

So imagine having a life where the distance between you and the thing you need to interact with is that much further – how much time and effort might some form of remote control save? Say, if you were a farmer, in India.

A video on a field hack that allows farmers to remotely control water pumps is here and there’s a write-up on the commercial version, the so-called Nano Ganesh here. The impact of this, particularly when combined with cheap and reliable services like Village Connection should not be underestimated.