What's too much technology?

I think the verdict is that I will try to bring as much technology that's presently in my life to Africa as I can.

I've spent the past days reading other West African PCVs blogs, and it really seems like while not everyonoe does, those that do bring tech comforts/tools from their US life don't regret it.

In particular, iPod's are a huge hit. C'mon, I'm not going to just bring no music, and my other options are what? CDs? Tapes?
Not to mention there are solar chargers that iPods hook into that work just fine. Especially if there's no lack of sun. (lol maybe not in ithaca).

I'm going to be a teacher. It seems like teachers in particular appreciate bringing a laptop. I think that as long as I back up my life before I go and go with the understanding that the computer could disappear or break at anytime, bringing along my 2 year old powerbook would be a good choice. Yes no electricity, no running water in my village, but maybe at the school or maybe in a near town. I can't know at this point how close i'll be to a town, and since electronics are difficult to send, I think i'll be bringing mine.

It is generally strongly reccomended that people bring:
Shortwave Radio
Travel Clock/Radio/Temp thing
Flashlight
Headlamp
Watch

Beyond that I think i'll bring
Laptop (Powerbook G4) (they make solar chargers but they're expensive)
Camera (Canon S3IS) (i'd love a wide angle lens but they're expensive too)
iPod mini + headphones
Travel Speakers (yes, for my hut)
Calculator (for grades)

The good news is that with solar technology, all of this can be powered by the sun. Especially the African sun.
One girl's blog i read detailed her use of one flexible solar panel that she hooked everything else she brought into.
Solar panel can even charge my rechargeable batteries. Hurray for being green.

In other news - I purchased a DivaCup (http://www.divacup.com/). It's a surgery grade silcone 1 oz. cup thing that you use in place of a tampon. Apparently they're really freakin awesome even if you're not headed into the bush. What I want to know is ... why didn't anyone tell us about these before??? cups like this one have been around since the 30s but instead - me and all of my female friends have had to deal with stupid pads and tampons. Hell - it's even better for your wallet. If you buy one at $30 and it lasts for 10 years, that's $3 a year and i can guarantee all of you are spending more than that on tampons. It's also hella better for the environment. TRY ONE! I'll let you know (in non graphic terms) how mine works out. Oh and i got it on eBay for $18.50.

Back to work in the lab.