Slashdot Mirror
New York Red Cross Needs Tech Help
zosa writes: "The New York American Red Cross is in dire need of technology equipment and services. The field workers and sites have little, if any, means of communication and the central office is processing way too much on completely paper systems. Your help in acquiring these resources would be greatly appreciated." You can read more over at this page. Finally something that the average Slashdot reader can do to help.
I assume those specific items are for integration to existing infrastructure.... although it does seem strangely specific.
This is the perfect situation for all those people who like wireless networking to jump in-they need a flexible, field communications system! Lesse here... WAP11s (in repeater mode)linked to eachother with yagis or parabolics, and each having on the other connecter an omni (8dBi or so) for APs and some el-cheapo D-Link client cards... A network on a budget.
This
Aargh. It needs a real-time list, with all the people seeing that news I bet items are being fulfilled already. I just got our peoples to try and get them the Citrix and PC Anywhere licenses but by the time it's done they may no longer be needed. It's got to be worse for people scrambling to gather and transport hardware to find out the need has already been met. Well, just a thought and certainly insignificant in the big picture but it would be nice.
Note: If you do help...
Leave advocacy for later!
Do not push Linux. If people can't use it, it won't help right now.
There probably won't be 802.11b links. This will probably networking Pentium class machines so people can do data entry. They will almost certainly run Windows.
This is good, because this will make sense to the people who can directly help. If you go there, be prepared to deal with these systems and don't bitch about it.
Not to mention, you'll give Linux a bad name if you still push it in this time of crisis.
-Dan
Whatever folks think of Microsoft, they have donated $5 million in cash and $5 in software, including consulting services to relief groups and government agencies.
Reuters articles is here.
I think this is rather sad also, but not because of Microsoft. After all, Microsoft is donating money and technical support, which is sorely needed. They should be commended for it, even in this forum.
What I think is sad is that the Red Cross thinks that they NEED software licenses to be donated. As the previous poster so eloquently put it, nobody would be upset, under the circumstances, if they just got ONE copy of Office and put it on all their laptops. But they think they need 50. Sad.
The last thing anyone needs is a stupid religious type scuffle when stuff just needs to be done. If Linux is the tool you need, use it. If Windows/Mac/BSD/whatever is what will do the job best - use it. Don't think - just do.
:-P
(Aside - isn't a stupid religious battle at the root of this evil?)
The Red Cross needs technical smarts on the ground right now - you're not in a board room, not in a data center. If you volunteer, just do the job and move on to the next. Concentrate on the users - now is not the time for training, so use what they're used to, or as close as possible to it. Heck, you may even learn something about other systems by deploying them.
I just wish I could get on a plane right now.
Soko
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
The average Slashdot reader can't bleed into a syringe? Can't donate to Red Cross? Hmmmm
INSIGHTFUL My Arse! I'm deeply offended by this comment. I would imagine that I am a fairly average Slashdot reader, and I can't "bleed into a syringe." I'm not allowed to. There are several categories of people that the US just doesn't want blood from. In my case I just happen to have lived in the UK for more than six months.
Please don't claim that giving blood is something that everyone can do. I'm not obese, I'm not underweight, I'm healthy... but I'm a Brit in the US.
Z.
-- Under/Overrated is meta-moderation, and therefore is Redundant.
(Aside - isn't a stupid religious battle at the root of this evil?)
No, but your other points are all excellent.
Special Relativity: The person in the other queue thinks yours is moving faster.
The TechTV article was posted Tuesday. It's late Wednesday. Has that Red Cross office gotten everything they need?
More to the point, does anyone know of other organizations (managing this crisis) that need tech equipment or services?
Stupid job ads, weird spam, occasional insight at
50 Microsoft Office Professional licenses
Ok, do you really think that Micro$oft would even think of taking legal actions against the Red Cross at a time like this for copying software that can help save lives? Sooo sad
See the forbiden post Here
Wow, I'm amazed by what you're saying. I fully agree with the parent. In situations such as this, when someone asks for something, it's required to give them what they're asking for.
...and the usual M$ bugs won't matter.
I have a few questions for you:
1 - Do you know why the Red Cross needs this software? Are you sure there is a fully functional Linux alternative for each requested piece?
2 - Do you feel it would speed up and help the relief effort to have the users learn new software and new interfaces or slow it down and hider it? NOTE: I'm not saying the interface is bad, but just different, which requires additional education which takes additional time, which is something that cannot be spared right now.
I'm sure the Red Cross will be happy to have anything up and working and that volunteers will follow their directions to the letter with good humor.
IF this happened, the directions from the Red Cross would be "Input data X". I don't think the Red Cross can provide user assistance as to how to use the new, unfamiliar software software. Even if hardcore Linux hackers get involved with supporting the software, it wll only slow down the efforts, to what extent I do not know.
They may then contribute more with the Free software in their hands. You're correct, they may. I feel, and others will agree, the situation warrants "give them what they want, not what we think they should have".
It's doubtful that the Red Cross is dependent on such things...
In response to this statement I'll ask you the same thing you asked the parent: What the hell do you know about Red Cross ops? Do you work for them? Have you ever? I have but not much. They are not a lame bunch.. It seems you're speculating, the same thing you ripped into the previous poster for.
More Microsoft bashing and at a time like this. I think you need to re-assess your priorities right now.
Although I hate to get into partisan nonsense at a time like this, I feel it's important to note that half of the items on the request list appear to be licenses for expensive, proprietary software. Considering that MS made $7 billion in profit last fiscal year, I'd say $10 million is the least they could do. And there should be none of this having to ask for licenses-- that's ridiculous (and wouldn't be the case if the Red Cross was using Red Hat or most any other Linux, now would it?).
As for Sun, they had offices in the WTC and at least one executive on the plane that went into the building, so please have a little respect. Sun have bigger problems than how much they are donating to rescue efforts.
As for VA and RH? I dunno. Maybe just as soon as they have a monopoly on overpriced software and turn a profit, we can expect those companies to donate headline sums as well. In the meantime, consider that Slashdot provided news to a lot of people during this past week and a forum to discuss the events. Slashdot is a free service provided by VA at considerable expense in terms of hardware and bandwidth.
If you want to act three flavors of righteous, first do something yourself, and then take quiet pride in being a good person instead of bitching about what others haven't done. Sheesh.
I do not have a signature
What I'm a little concerned about is who is collecting all those loose financial documents blown out of those offices and possibly harvesting info they have no business having.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
Love to see MS try to sue the Red-Cross in their time of need.
Pull your head out man. You say that you would "love" to see MS sue the Red Cross? So they'd get egg all over their faces, right?
At a time of national disaster, maybe you should stop worrying about petty shit like this. Of course MS won't mess with the Red Cross over this, and they've given a ton of aid money and resources out of compassion. Guess what - the people who work at MS aren't actually inhuman monsters, but people like you and me. You should be ashamed at taking this opportunity to mock them.
Invisible Agent
This post is a mirror; when a monkey stares in, no hacker gazes out.
I had some hope that at least during a time of crisis like this, zealots would get off their soapboxes and help out, even if it means possibly having to deal with MS.
Lobby the Red Cross to change to open source after all this is said and done.
This isn't the time to make a stand for the cause.
Call on God, but row AWAY from the rocks!
How many dot-coms have but no longer use perfectly good equipment that they could donate for the cause. Of course, the government can sweeten the deal for everyone concerned by offering tax incentives for donations.
Considering that M$ will easily make back that $5M in software replacement sales I think they should get the Cheap Bastard Award. This makes me ill.
I simply can not STAND people who judge other charity givers. I personally make a large income for my age, and whenever I give people ALWAYS comment, "Well, that's not much for him". How dare you even have a thought of critisism against a donor. How much have YOU given? Why don't you get a part time job (on top of your full time job) so that you can donate more money. You're not doing enough. Why did you upgrade your computer? You could've donated that money. What, you bought an MP3 player while people go hungry?
What makes ME ill is your arogant attitude. You feel that you have some God given intelect that allows you to determine how much is the "right amount" for an organisation to give to the "right cause".
There is no longer anything that can be done with computers that is nontrivial and clearly legal. -- Paul Phillips
I go through the comments on /. every once in a while and find some of the Linux vc Windows debates and the M$ sucks comments humorous...
But today, when people are attacking MS for "only" giving $10 million (total) and commenting the the Red Cross shouls just use Linux, I find myself shaking my head in shame at even being considered a "techie". Who cares how much money MS gives? Even a $20 donation is better than nothing. Who cares that they will write off the full value? Thats how things work in this country. What matters is that MS is doing SOMETHING, even if they will benefit in the end.
For now, consider the bigger picture beyond your Linux desktop - there are bigger problems for all of us. Anyone that can should do whatever they can to help and not attack those that are trying to do what they can. Give blood if you can, send money (www.amazon.com is a good place to start), go to NY and help (I'm leaving tomorrow for NYC)... just realize that this problem is bigger than YOU and frankly, if you can't either help or give encouraging words of thanks for those that DO help(such as MS), then push your keyboard aside and do something else.
Scott
The Symantec sales team has contacted the Red Cross and sent 25 client access licenses for the software.
I just wanted you all to know that Slashdot DID do something to help. I wouldn't have known about the need without this article.