Slashdot Mirror
US Geeks Recycle GNU/Linux Boxes for Ecuador
An anonymous submitter writes: "According to this article on Salon, geeks involved with Indymedia are recycling 300 GNU/Linux boxes to send to independent media activists in Ecuador. The machines will be used to create free public computer labs across South America, networked with donated wireless 802.11b cards. Anyone wanna chip in to help cover the shipping costs?"
They make Linux boxes out of donated parts and volunteered time. They also recycle monitors, motherboard parts and steel.
Please be gentle
For shame! Slashdotting these poor good samaritains!
Couldn't you post links to the RIAA or something?
You can't take the sky from me...
Here's an idea: these folks should talk to their local Air National Guard unit. I've worked with medical missionaries in the past who went to Ecuador for a month (imaging blogging over a 9.6 modem connection over AOL -- only provider we could hook up with -- it wasn't pretty, but that was mainly user error and I digress). These physicians managed to purchase/gather enough supplies and talked the Alabama Air National Guard into shipping everything down in a week or two in advance. Of course, I don't know how to pull those kind of stings, but I know it has been done in the past for medical missions so I guess this effort might differ in the eyes of non-techies, who don't believe that information technology is as essential as proper medical care. I'd chance a guess that pilots are like us in a way they'll look for any excuse to do what they do best. ;-) Good luck, though!
Even superheroes once were losers
Somehow this reminds me of an old Jay Leno bit about humanitarian efforts to give Christmas toys to starving kids in the third-world:
Child: "Kalimba eat potato?"
Humanitarian: "No, Kalimba *play with* potato! See, you can put eyes, ears and mouth on the potato!"
Child: "Kalimba eat potato?"
Humanitarian: "No, no..."
That's about all I remember. It was hilarious, but I can't find the whole routine on the web.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
How about we sell our boxes on ebay, and then send the money to make sure some kids down there eat tonight? I'm aware that these boxes aren't meant to be some poor child charity but this is easily the stupidest shit I've ever heard regarding acts of kindness.
And another thing, semi off-topic, regarding charity. Why is it that people ooh and aww and feel their heart sink when Sally Struthers shows them pictures of starving orphans in some god-forsaken place, but then the next day can be found in a Dillards parking lot mortified that a homeless kid almost touched their Lexus?
Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
There are already a couple of posts here with people griping about how "all this effort" is mis-directed and should be spent on "domestic" kids.
Its never ceases to amaze me how quick so many people are to critique an act of charity.
Somehow kids are more deserving because they happen to be closer geographically/politically/culturally?
Some guys at some location which happens to be in our country have for some reason chosen to help some kids at some other location which is not within out political boundaries. Should they be slighted because they haven't first helped everyone in their neighborhood/city/state/country?
If you think there's someone out there who needs help who isn't getting any try this... help them. That's what these folks here did.
Yeah we have tried to include UPS's but the problem is that by the time they get donated they are often bad. We don't want to send down a UPS which will break and then we leave people with a toxic waste problem they can't deal with cleanly. Unfortunately we were able only to send a few UPS's in the container.
The power of technology is manifest in how it is applied within the social matrix.
Being anti-semitic means you can't live with Jews. This is a difference with hating 'Israel', or more correct, the Isrealian government.
I strongly disagree with the Israelian government, but I have no problem with Jews - you see? I can hate Bush, but have no problems with Americans.
Teenagers these days don't have as much sex as they want each other to think they do.
Also check out this video interview with one of the organizers.
From the article,
Anti-globalization activists in Oakland, Calif., are recycling old machines, loading them with free software and shipping them off to Ecuador.
Doesnt something seem wrong with that sentence? How do they "ship them off" without support companies like UPS, FEDEX, DHL or whatever. Dont they all hate those companies?
Also, why are they against free trade? Its hard to get a feel for what these people stand for, and why. They say they are defending poor people, but how? Wont the isolation they seem to want, keep the poor people poor?
That being said, I think that more computers in south america is great. I dont know how this particular group came upon this idea however. Also, the article is a bit short on details, as to where the computers will be housed, and maintained etc.. It also goes on to explain that some will form a wireless network in Quito, but the rest will go to small towns.. How are those computers going to be useful?
It all sounds like a great idea, but I really dont understand these people.. I think they do more harm than good to the very people that they say they want to help..
-- -- Warning. Do not stare directly at the sun.
As for the *DEFINITION*, as you put it, you might want to look it up, some other time before you troll.
As for the rest of your nonsense, you should consider the possibility that some people might disagree with the Israeli oppression of the palestineans as well as the palestinean terror.
I don't think you can place a clear label on Indymedia, link you can't place a clear label on all open software users. We aren't all commies, and we know that.
;)
Indymedia is so heterogenous, that you need to judge individual projects, like this one, if you want to decide to support them or not. They don't have leaders that make up big plans, they are more like lots of local groups that do what they think is good.
And maybe you haven't read the other comments, but Free Geek is supporting this action - so helping them could also mean helping this project
Teenagers these days don't have as much sex as they want each other to think they do.
Point 1: These computers are not going to poor underpriveleged kids, these are a bit off-the-edge activists with some fringe anti-American tendencies.
Point 2: No matter who they're going to, 300 computers is insignificant. Many medium-sized businesses are getting rid of old computers in these numbers. And since these computers aren't going to help poor kids in schools learn technology, it has no effect. Not newsworthy. I've personally disposed of hundreds of computers, and I'd always put a nice package of freeware on the hard drive before sending it away.
Point 3: The only reason this is happening, is to get some good press. This isn't a "helping a child" story, or a "rejuvenating a country" story, or anything like that, but that's how it is being reported. I'd like to see how many millions of dollars of financial support our government spends in the same country, yet totally goes unreported and uncredited.
...
As a note of caution:
My own experience doing this (built a computer lab in Nicaragua) sort of thing suggests that these folks will run into many political and economic complexities in the places they go to install computers e.g.:
In any event, I hope everyone involved will learn a lot from the process and it will motivate more geeks to get involved with those who have much less than themselves (not the least of the reasons being that it makes you happier).
All women have hairy armpits except those Americans that shave them... oh, and whores in other parts of the world.
What's the matter with you? Are you some kind of pedophile that can't cope with a post-pubescent woman's natural body?
While I normally try to convince anti-globlization activists of the merits of globalization whenever I can, this time I will hold my tongue. How can plugging a third world country into the internet be seen as anything else but furthering globalization?
I think you're confused.
'Anti-globalization' activists aren't against greater communication and information exchange. Indeed, many are anarchists that would like to see all borders fall and all imposed limits between various peoples disappear.
They are, however, generally against the consolidation of global economic power among a power elite who socialize costs while privatizing benefits. At the moment, globalization seems to be more about extending Western economic power and authority than really improving the lives and freedom of all people.
Someday, you're going to die. Get over it.
It's not that all Americans are this clueless - it's just that the attitude betrayed by the parent post is particularly irksome. Americans are resented for their cultural and political hegemony, not because everyone else is starving.