I've just done another of my Ain't Capitalism Great? stories over at samizdata, which has obvious educational implications, especially for Africa. And all those implications are good.

An Oxford physics professor by the name of Joshua Silver has invented a pair of adjustable spectacles which enable you to see well all your life, without ever having to visit an optician, just by twiddling a couple of knobs on the side of your spectacles every so often.

The combination of lots of bad eyesight and dreadfully inadequate optical services is a serious educational barrier in Africa. For many Africans all our arguments about phonics versus look-and-say mean very little indeed, because many Africans can't even look and see. Well, it looks as if for many of them this is about to change.

The company which Professor Silver has set up to make and market this wonder invention is called Adaptive Eyecare, and I recommend a visit to that website to learn more.

Many stories on this blog are about the fumblings and bumblings of politicians. You sense that not even they expect what they're doing to achieve very much, and the rest of us mostly assume that it's futile. But this story could not be more different.