[Dialogue] $100 Laptops for All Children

[Don Hinkelman]

Hi Dave,

Take a look at the MIT web site, especially the FAQ.  http:// 
laptop.media.mit.edu/   You will see that the laptops are HAND  
POWERED.  There is a hand crank that generates the electricity to  
power the laptop for an hour or two.  Note also that the laptops all  
have wireless network capability and will use a MESH NETWORK.  When  
they come out of the box and turned on, they will automatically  
connect to other laptops in the local community.  Incredible!

Don

> Now if we can find a way to get electricity to the billion that  
> don't have it then we can find a way to charge up the batteries on  
> these computers.  Or maybe they will be solar powered.  Wouldn't  
> that be a great solution?
>
> Dave Rebstock
>
> -------------- Original message --------------
>
> > Today, at 1pm New York time, Kofi Annan will announce an initiative
> > at the World Information Summit in Tunis for governments to provide
> > hundreds of millions of laptops for $100 to children across the
> > world. These will not be for sale directly but distributed as  
> part of
> > national educational infrastructures. Watch here for the live
> > webcast... http://www.itu.int/wsis/tunis/webcast/english/
> > press_conf.htm# The World Summit on the Information Society main
> > site is... http://www.itu.int/wsis/index.html
> >
> > Apple tried to offer free Mac OS X as part of the $100 package, but
> > this offer was declined by the not-for-profit organisers, One Laptop
> > per Child (OLPC) and the developers, MIT Media Lab, who are looking
> > for a 100% open source solut ion. http://laptop.media.mit.edu/
> >
> > P.S. A question to all--who said "Action removes the doubt that
> > theory cannot resolve." ? And were those the exact words?
> >