<incom> OLPC and ICT4D

[Geert Lovink]

Thanks, Paul, for asking this question.

On this list we've been following OLPC for a while. In fact, the  
discussion is not all that different from the one about Simputer,  
before, during and after the collaps of that (much smaller) project.

I would like to point an interesting and rather long thread on a  
neighboring list called iDC. It's US-American academic and a bit of art  
but that's what makes it interesting. These are not the obvious  
insiders, nor are the God-like judges that inhabit the offices of The  
Economist.

https://lists.thing.net/pipermail/idc/2008-January/thread.html

and some of it in the december 2007 archive:

https://lists.thing.net/pipermail/idc/2007-December/thread.html

The iDC thread started with this message:

Negroponte and co. are pushing dangerous drugs in 'third world  
countries.'

Microsoft Windows XP for the '$100 laptop' already nears testing phase  
and
will be pushed to kids in our countries
(http://www.gmanews.tv/story/71789/Microsoft-Windows-XP-for-the-100- 
laptop-nears-testing-phase).

And soon our kids will have even broader access to decadent Internet  
social
networks as online video games are integrated in social networking tools
(http://www.gmanews.tv/story/69824/Online-video-games-meet-social- 
networking-tools)

Negroponte and co. are making it harder for us our struggle and efforts  
to
become truly independent economically, technologicaally, culturally from
the horrendous culture of Amerika.

Regards,
Fatima


On 7 Jan 2008, at 8:32 PM, Paul Swider wrote:

> I'm a journalist working on a story about the OLPC and its effects.  
> I'm curious, from the
> standpoint of ICT4D, what people see has or think will happen to the  
> industry as a result of this device. Will we see more flash-driven  
> machines (I think we are)? Will we see more sw development for this  
> machine/OS/GUI? Will
> the more commercial enterprises now recognize, as Intel and Microsoft  
> appear to be doing, that there is a market even in developing  
> countries for the right sized/priced computing product? Are there  
> other downstream effects coming?
>
> If you want to respond to me off-list, you can send to this email or  
> to pswider at sptimes.com,
> although I can see that this thread might be appropriate for the list.
>
> Paul Swider
> 727.776.9979
> www.swider.net
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