$100 Laptop...*NEW*!!!

Nice color scheme

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175881,00.html

 

i want one !!!

 

A hand crank?

 

I saw that movie!!

 

How efficient can that hand crank be? Do the children have to work in pairs, with one turning the crank, while the other reads his email?

 

HAHA...I knew you'd love that feature

 

I keep visualizing someone using a crank like on a jack-in-the-box, and instead of the little clown popping out, the laptop says, "You've got mail!"

 

Jeremy, Fisher-Price on line 1

 

HAHA!

Maybe if you wind the crank fast enough a clown pops up on the laptop screen. That would freak you out!

 

Damn like those stupid "wheres waldo?" flashes, that you concentrate on and you put your face to the screen and try to spot him and then WHAM! *drop a duece in your pants*.

 

Lime Green?



But I still think its a good idea for them , think of all the money they'll save on book's etc.

 

I think that sucks these are war-torn nations a lot of kids only have one arm!

 

A week later, half of them have traded their computers in for food. I guess it's the thought that counts, though.

 

*claps hands for typical stereotypical comments*

 

? English major?

Claps hands, your just rubbing it in.

 

No English major here, but I know a stupid comment when I see it.

I'm especially delighted you could comment on my English, and not get it right yourself.


Your?

Try, You're.

 

I must say I agree. If you have the time, what do you think about the direction ICANN is heading? WGIC can't even agree on how the net should be run. Hell, I read somewhere that world leaders are becoming aware of the political, economic and social impact of the net. Becoming aware? These are the individuals that came up with the bright idea of handing out 100$ laptops. I'm a philosophy major what can I say. Contractions were never my strong point, my wife now that is a woman who knows something about contractions.

 

Many women with child-bearing ability know a lot about contractions....

 

Stereotypical? I realize that practical considerations and recognizing reality of situations can be very tricky for some people, so perhaps labelling it as a "stereotypical comment" helps tone it down and make it manageable for you, or something. The reality is this: many of the areas where they would considering giving these out are severely impoverished. $100 may seem like chump change to you, but that's a month or two's worth of money for poor folk, and to spend it would probably mean going without bare essentials, in cases where they even receive those at all. It's ignorant and naive to think that those people wouldn't gladly trade in their shiny new useless toy for a month's worth of food. I suspect that this will be subsidized anyway, richer nations will donate these to poorer nations, but the end result will be the same. Even having said that I still think this is a good idea, if 10% of the people who get these keep them, that will open the door for people to teach themselves and improve their countries. But to assume this will be the standard as opposed to the exception is, as I said, ignorant and naive. So here, let me clap my hand for ignorant and naive comments! See how productive that is?

 

Nice indirect jab at me.


Interesting post.

Totally irrelevant though. Wanna know why? Impoverished people won't spend month's wages if they can't afford it. NO MATTER THE COUNTRY.

Lets take an impoverished American family. If they can barely make ends meet and have trouble keeping food on the table, they aren't going to go out and buy a laptop. Same as any other place. So what point are you trying to make exactly?

This machine is an excellent idea, as it gives others besides the "rich" in less fortunate countries the chance to experience technology.

While the aim is for the government to buy them, that doesn't mean it will happen. As well, its likely the government would donate them to a school for children to use throughout their studies. Now schools who couldn't afford them will have a better chance of seeing them now.



Your comment was stereotypical, and you know it. A lot like the one armed comment.

 

a neat upgrade would be to add a track ball, and a few mouse buttons to the hand crank.......wobbles

 

My point was pretty clear in the post, where I said that in the cases where this was subsidized the people receiving the laptops wouldn't keep them. Hell, I thought it was relevant, but everyone's entitled to their opinion.

 

Once they figure out ebay, the laptops are gone. Social standing, for over 90% of the locations these computers will delivered to, is based on the amount of livestock an individual owns. That said when they find out that a laptop will bring them say 7 heads of cattle, bye bye laptop. Now what about the language barrier, these computers will be distributed, mostly, to rural areas where the dialect differs drastically making it difficult to communicate.Another problem is shortage of qualified teachers, what usualy happens is a group of missionaries will teach the brightest member of the tribe basic math, history and grammer, this person then becomes the teacher and the missionaries move on. I think it's a great idea but the wrong time to implement it. This is just my opinion (I felt it necessary to state the given the sensitive nature of some of the members).

 

Well, if I use omnihilo's mind set, then Ebay won't be a problem, because they won't be able to afford to get onto the internet...

 

True, what I got was that certain ISP would donate their service and access would be limited.

 

I'm guessing that would be a limited site

 

You got a point but I'm still trying to put myself in their shoes, livestock or laptop, social standing and seven wives or the prestige of becoming a member of major geeks Tunisia.( personaly I'd take major geeks I've got one wife and don't know how they do it) prediction six months and you'll find them on ebay, anyone want to wager on the price they'll be listed at?

 

Weli, I'm still of the opinion that these machines will probably stay at school to operate as a more....'electronic' classroom. Thats going to limit sold machines by a large margin.

I mean, for what the article said, it would be ludicrous. It would be the same here, if a bunch of people donated laptops to kids. They'd go sell it. Maybe not for food, but thats not really the point.

Its much more likely they will go to schools, in the form of either a computer 'room' or to enhance the curriculum, as they are doing here in the US, and maybe other countries as well.

 

Curriculum? Computer room?
Target distribution will be the underdeveloped parts of Africa. My brother spent over 3 years there with an outreach group(not sure the name will find out) The curriculum is almost nonexistant and most classes are held outside for a period of about an hour( If they can keep the childrens attention) when I spoke to my brother he said the hardest thing to do was keep the natives focused they would have to bribe them with food just to get them to come. Considering the target population I just can't see it being a success. I hope I am wrong believe me.

 

Nigeria is only one target. Brazil, Egypt (yeah still Africa), and Thailand are the others.

 

I'm gonna have to disagree. I'd guess the more developed areas will see these machines, not areas that are that underdeveloped.

 

I have this vision of all of these starving kids huddled round a screen in the middle of nowhere watching porn.

 

hehehe

That paints a funny picture.