the "iPad" annoucement

Well, yesterday Mr. Jobs evoked a series of "oohs" and "aahhs" with the unveiling of his new "iPad" gadget. The audience at Moscone center in San Francisco anxiously awaited the unveiling, as they hung on his every word and gesture. (My initial thought, as I watched the unveiling via cnn.com, was, "my God; he's still alive! looks terrible, but he's still alive. The wonders of modern medicine; take that, pancreatic cancer! we'll give him a liver transplant!")

So just what is this new iPad gadget? In a nutshell, it's an iPhone on steroids. (no, actually, it's not a "phone" per se, but it's sort of a misnomer to characterize the iPhone as exclusively a "phone".) It's sort of a "tablet," a laptop sans a keyboard or mouse, because the human interface is your hands and fingers (rather than a physical keyboard and mouse). I won't bore you with a lot of details about the characteristics of this new gadget, because it's well-documented on the Web.

What fascinates me about the annual "Jobs Product Unveiling" is the hype and its accompanying lather amongst techo-geeks world-wide. Jobs, Apple & Co. have reached an idolatrous stature amongst their rabid fans. I've witnessed these annual product unveilings for many years now (various iPods, iPhones, and other computers). And I keep coming back to this question: what if we could channel all this rabid obsession with these new techno-gadgets into rabid obsession with the good of the Commons?

Let me explain.

Think of Greg Mortenson arousing the passion and interest of Steve Jobs.

Mr. Mortenson is author of the book, "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace.... One School at a Time."

I am convinced that one of the key means to achieve peace in our world is to provide quality education for EVERY child. Yes, EVERY child. In North America. In the Middle East. In the Far East. In South America. In Africa. ON EVERY CONTINENT. IN EVERY COUNTRY. FOR EVERY CHILD.

So, you see, Mr. Mortenson is my hero. And as much as I admire Mr. Jobs for his passion and showmanship, I do not consider him a "hero."

I am envisioning some sort of annual gathering at Moscone center, in which Mr. Mortenson gets up on stage to announce the latest progress on school development across the world. And then I am imagining rabid interest and obsessed hype amongst a mass of people who are engaged and contributing to this endeavor, somehow, some way.

I can dream, can't I?