One Laptop Per Child computer now available to the public.

[Jack Rabbit]

I am still skeptical about the value of this project but I am very curious about the hardware. From the descriptions on the website I think it would be a great e-reader or PDA. Shame it is fugly.

Home

One learning child. One connected child. One laptop at a time.

The mission of One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege.
Since November 12th, OLPC has been offering a limited-time Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During Give One Get One, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution. Thanks to a growing interest in the program, we are extending Give One Get One until the end of the year. Through this extension, and the increasing public interest in OLPC, we hope to give many more children the opportunity to grow, explore, learn and express themselves.

[magictorch]

But. I think the last thing some of the more brutal regimes in developing countries want is to have their kids absorbing western ways on the internet. I hope the little guys get them though.

[llama_egg]

I personally love the idea and have very high hopes for it, considering the idea of helping spread education (and pr0n?) around the world is a great idea. And true, it is fugly, but it is for children!

[Mr. Cipher]

What about giving them something to eat, or giving them innoculations so they can survive long enough to use them first? I'm a firm believer in education (I am at university), but c'mon...there are some priorities that need to be sorted out.

Please understand that in no way am I insulting the project, I think it's a great idea.

[qwerty]

I am all for helping other people in other countries and surely they do indeed need assistance, seemingly forever but anyways.
I often wonder why we do not look inward more often to better improve the lives of Canadians first. There are many children here in Canada who aren't getting proper food, shelter and clothing and could well put to use a program to further their education by use of a pc.
Not to mention not every developed country school child has a laptop now so why does every third world country child need one? Surely there are more effective ways to promote awareness and to cultivate and mold young minds...

Just food for thought.

[llama_egg]

I agree with you fully, but it's been like that forever. Why? Because it looks better to help a country worst off then helping your own.

[dstone]

$200 a laptop seems a bit over priced, I can buy a fully loaded laptop with Windows Vista for only $400.
Everex StepNote NC1510 Refurbished Notebook PC - VIA C7-M Processor 1.5GHz, 802.11bg Wireless, 1GB DDR2, 60GB HDD, Dual Layer DVD RW, 15.4" WXGA, Windows Vista Home Basic RB-NC1510-R in Canada at TigerDirect.ca

If they lowered the price to the original $100 and got more corporate funding and political backing, they would be more successful.
Corporations are making record profits so they can spare a few billion dollars, and politicians do nothing all day so they have the time to campaign for the one laptop per child program.

[Cheator]

Originally Posted by dstone

$200 a laptop seems a bit over priced, I can buy a fully loaded laptop with Windows Vista for only $400.
Everex StepNote NC1510 Refurbished Notebook PC - VIA C7-M Processor 1.5GHz, 802.11bg Wireless, 1GB DDR2, 60GB HDD, Dual Layer DVD RW, 15.4" WXGA, Windows Vista Home Basic RB-NC1510-R in Canada at TigerDirect.ca

If they lowered the price to the original $100 and got more corporate funding and political backing, they would be more successful.
Corporations are making record profits so they can spare a few billion dollars, and politicians do nothing all day so they have the time to campaign for the one laptop per child program.

They are about 100$ for kids in needy countries, but for the public they are 200$. The original idea was that it would be 200$ for the public, half of that money buying another laptop for a needy child. This explains the price.


At first I thought that thisp roject wasn't a good idea. I figured it would be best to get them food, etc. But then I realized that this is an investment. If this foundation does it right, they could light a fire with these children, educate them well, and with that education they can start helping themselves. Its better than giving food in the long run, because food last days, education lasts for the rest of their life.

[AkG]

Like Cheator says education IS the key. Cogito, ergo armatum sum: "I think, therefore I am armed."

OR as the old saying goes:

"Give a man a fish, and he'll eat fer a day. Teach 'im ta fight, and he'll feast on da meaty marrow of his foes fer a lifetime!"......errr or something like that.