You may have heard about
OLPC founded by Nicolas Negroponte (MIT Media Lab) several years ago. This is a wonderful vision where technology may bring hope to children in developing countries. As it appears now, there have been less "takers" than Negroponte had hoped and now
US and Canada natives can purchase one of these innovative laptops for $400 in a 1 for 2 option where your purchase will provide a laptop to another child somewhere else. Maybe a good seasonal gift for someone you love and someone you don't know but could love...
I am intrigued by this laptop for several reasons (actually knowing very little about them...)
- does not need electricity - or can be "charged up" by hand
- unique operating system (not windows based)
- original idea was to have this cost $100 - now it is $188
- Provides most of the productivity tools in this simple operating system
Now it turns out
Intel has come up with their own option for low cost computers (windows based) that are around $200. Funny that now Intel can make a system cheaper if there is a tangible alternative - hum...
- How about cars who get 200 miles per gallon of fuel,
- Provide enough electricity from wind and sun for every home,
- the list could go on.
What are your wishes for technology advances that do not impact the world's resources at the current levels?
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3 comments:
What are your wishes for technology advances that do not impact the world's resources at the current levels?
Good question. Wouldn't you think with all this technology floating around that someone could build an engine that would run on renewable resources and still be affordable? Change the engine, change the fuel source, something. Or, is it already there and the big oil and car companies are blocking the production. Just a thought.
I don't have small children any more, so that may be why these laptops do not excite me. Also, I am concerned that $200 is still a great deal of money that could buy so much more for school children in developing countries. Some of my students last year did a project on the Invisible Children, and this year have continued with an effort to participate in Schools for Schools. Maybe they need laptops, but they need a lot more as well. Check it out at http://s4s.invisiblechildren.com/info
There are a lot of options for alternative energy sources, the problem seems to be finding the market (read: will) to adopt them, which would drive down their cost considerably within a few years. Perhaps the inevitable decline in the availability of fossil fuels will force us to do what we already should be doing.
Regarding OLPC (as I get my soapbox out), this seems to be money very well spent. There are undoubtedly a lot of other needs as well, and those shouldn't be ignored, but if all our effort in helping developing countries goes towards fixing survival needs while we ignore education and empowerment, all we will have is more poor, uneducated people. It's better to help them help their own countries by investing in education, giving them the power to become partners in change rather than just recipients of charity.
The OLPC project replaces old textbooks, scarce school supplies, teachers who know little more than their students, and 19th century schoolhouses with a learning tool that allows students to circumvent their circumstances.
OK, OK, that's a little hyperbole there, but I can't wait to see what these things look like up close, because from far off they seem pretty incredible!
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