Apparently India has more cellphones than toilets. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry asks, very effectively, "so what?"

In the developing world, cell phones are not just communication devices — though even that would be crucial in regions where none other exist. They are used by farmers, fishermen and traders to get the best market prices for their goods, significantly improving their standards of living. Cell phone minutes have emerged as something close to an alternate currency system that helps people store and move money safely in an environment where personal security is not a given. Telecoms operators in developing countries are at the forefront of mobile banking, and anyone who follows development has some idea of how important and transformational getting the “unbanked” into the formal financial system, and cell phones seem to be the best hope of that.

Conor Friedersdorf interviews Matthew Yglesias on urban planning. Maybe surprisingly, I agree with almost all of it:

I'm against government-subsidized parking and government-mandated parking. I'm a liberal -- I believe in subsidies for public goods and in regulations to curb harmful externalities, but neither of those things exist when it comes to parking. If anything, it's the reverse -- cheap parking causes environmental hazards and traffic jams. I would let people build as much or as little parking as they feel they can profitably sell to people.

That's good enough, but later on there's this:

Uncontrolled streets. Scrap the traffic lights and stop signs and paint, scrap the sidewalks and the bike lanes, just let people pay attention and try to pilot themselves or their vehicles safely.

Where have I heard this "shared space" idea before? Maybe here. Or here or here or here.

Rwanda is escaping poverty by making coffee:

First, the Rwandan government lowered trade barriers, and lifted restrictions on coffee farmers. Second, Rwanda developed a strategy of targeting production of high-quality coffee, a specialty product whose prices remain stable even when industrial-quality coffee prices fall. Third, international donors provided funding, technical assistance and training, creating programs like the USAID-funded Sustaining Partnerships to Enhance Rural Enterprise and Agribusiness Development (SPREAD).

Say no to lawns:

So by simply using water that would have otherwise wound up in the sewer, I have one of the best-looking yards on my block and fresh produce to boot.