I believe that if you pick up some of the most pressing world problems, like poverty, corruption, tyranny, most solutions will need some of the same basic needs: easy and free access to communication, information, collaboration, education and by giving power to anyone to record present facts, remember their history and broadcast their own voice.
Let me explain with a video:
Technology is one tool that can help do that. That’s why I have always been a believer in the power of giving access to computing power and to the internet to the more vast array of people possible, and that’s the main reason I support the One Laptop Per Child program. Now that OLPC has made the Give Many program easier to participate in, I have an idea that Wayan Vota and I want to share with you.
We are proud to start a fundraising to achieve the modest goal of equip one of the local initiatives we’ve been reporting for over two years. We present to you:
OLPC News 100 Laptop Fundraising DriveAbout the XO laptop:Let's raise $20,000 in donations for one hundred XO-1 laptops to be sent to the best locally-organized OLPC learning club!
Donors
Local Programs
- Pledge at least $100 on the OLPC News Fundraising Drive site
- If/when we reach $20,000, vote for the best program to get 60-100 laptops
- If we don't reach $20,000, then everyone's pledge is nullified and we just watch others Give Many.
Now don't think we'll be passing out laptops to just anyone. Each local initiative will be debated on OLPC News based on what are the concrete realities and how well established is the curriculum implementation, power grid and internet access on each pilot.
- Organize a local OLPC learning club in your community
- Send us a post on how you'd use 60 laptops to enhance education
- If you win, pass out laptops with a smile
After the vote by the donors, the winning group will get our 60 directed laptops, and we will ask OLPC to direct their 40 laptops to the second place group.
Everyone
If you can't donate you can help our cause by spreading the word around, from ">re-blogging the video to Digg ing it, to adding it to del.ico.us, Stumble On, Slashdotting it, to posting this page on Facebook
One Laptop Per Child XO-1
First presented by M.I.T. Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte in 2005, the once called US$100 laptop is a fresh start in computing. This is the electric car in a world of SUVs: instead of trying the biggest faster laptop around it's the one that does more with less.
It can connect to other similar laptops without a connection to the internet. If it finds a hotspot it can stretch it to other computers without being turned on.
It allows you to read a book or a site on the screen without consuming any power (while being virtually a sleep). It runs for less energy, cost fewer dollars, immune to computer viruses and lasts longer even in the hands of children.
Did we mentioned that it's also water and dust proof, can be readable on sunlight and has a revolutionary but easy to use interface?
Also it's not about doing spreadsheets: it comes with free software for music making drawing, blogging, filming, taking photos, making interactive games, doing stop motion animation, a full encyclopedia, a ebook reader and lots of games, including SimCity, the original.
About OLPC NEWS
Started by Wayan Vota in 2006 OLPC News prides itself on being an independent news source for all things related to One Laptop Per Child. OLPC News is now a community of more than a dozen regular contributors writing daily about OLPC and its impact on education and technology.
OLPC News is so informative and influential, it's referenced in international media, including an appearance on CBS News' 60 Minutes. OLPC News is not affiliated with the One Laptop Per Child organization.
Digg the cause at:
http://digg.com/linux_unix/Help_donate_100_OLPC_laptops_to_the_developing_world
You've got my vote, it's a great idea!
Cheers,
Christoph (OLPC Austria)
I love your video. Olpc isn't just an education project. Making computers ubiquitous in the developiong world will effect all aspects of society, including the political. In fact, I think the greatest resistance to olpc in many countries. is not going to come from tradition-bound eduction ministries, but rather politicians who don't want the people fighting corruption and tyranny.
off topic: I just got an idea for showing people what Sugar can do. Some should put up an interactive web site where anyone can sign on for free, and all the people who are using it at any time would be the community and show up on the gui, connected through the server instead of the meshnetwork. That way people could experience the collaborative aspect of Sugar, which is its greatest innovation.
I've just posted some information and thoughts about your initiative over on my blog at http://christoph-d.blogspot.com/2007/11/olpc-news-100-laptop-xo-fundraising.html
Christoph
A great idea! We've been thinking of how we can take the awareness campaign in the Philippines to the next level. I've posted this link to the group site:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8363657036
Please provide guidelines on how donors can vote for the best OLPC Learning Club.
Cheers.
Eduardo, very cool idea indeed!
Now all we need is to find someone with the necessary skillz to actually do something like this... :-)
Why not, but if you donate money at http://laptopgiving.org/en/give-a-laptop.php I'm sure OLPC has good plans of where they will give many and OLPC donations are totally tax deductible in the USA.
Although I guess it would be great to be able to give smaller amounts then $200, so hundred of people can each give 2$ and this way a lot of money could be collected from many small donators.
Charbax: Because this way you have a say on where your laptop goes, and you help bring attention to the teachers programs. Donating directly to OLPC is always a good thing also, but as donating to Unicef or Onu you will never be able to see exactly how they spent your money.
Eduardo: Nice idea to show off sugar yes. Transforming the whole os on an online system might be impossible but building one online game that shows off some concepts is nice. Do you know any flash game developers?
Sandeep: First we have to hear from the schools. Do you think you could intermediate a write-up in some potential recipient in the Philippines?
How to submit a proposal? We want to start a OLPC learning community in Peru.
Luis Gustavo: Write an email to Wayan at olpcnews dot com, or to alexandrevandesande @ gmail dot com describing your project, preferably with pictures of the school you want to bring the laptops to. :)
I think a learning community could be ad hoc, i.e. something besides a school. It might be a community telecenter or a library, either of which could have active programs to engage people using their services. However, it will be hard for Wayan and crew to judge these applications.
I clicked on the Technology page for the New York Times today, and what pops up but a flash ad for the XO!
It is my pleasure to give my witness about the importance of computers nowadays due to its wide application in many fields of study. It has alot to do with social sciences natural sciences and in the contemporary world what a pity is evrey one as me couldn't afford it to buy. It is my pleasure again to thank and express my wishes and a fill asI am having my own computer I will do much better than I am doing using office computers accessible only during working hours. I also would like to thank those adressing computers to the outreach persons found in the developping countries. If the organization could please send me the option of sending me laptop to present me in addid ababa Ethiopia.