OLPC Experiments With Cow-Powered Laptops

An anonymous reader writes "The One Laptop Per Child Project (OLPC) is toying with a novel source of power for its low-cost XO laptops: cows. "We plan to drive a dynamo (taken from an old Fiat) through a system of belts and pulleys using cows/cattle," wrote OLPC's Arjun Sarwal, in an October 21 e-mail posted to one of the group's discussion lists. Sarwal and others are now finalizing the design of the cow-powered generator."

Comments

Something doesn't smell right

[LiquidCoooled]

There is no way this is true.
There is no way they can get cows to power laptops, there is no way they would stay in their wheel.

Now, if they suggested a beowolf cluster of hamsters then I would believe it.
As it stands this article is just a load of bull.

Re:Something doesn't smell right

[FredDC]

No, it's pretty real, they've made a deal with the OCPC project (One Cow per Child). They give the cow needed to power their laptop! It's a pretty sweet deal, you get a laptop and a cow! Now that's marketing!

Re:Something doesn't smell right

[camperdave]

In impoverished nations, what are the odds most OLPC cow powered batteries will eventually lose their charge over dinner?

In famine struck nations, what are the odds most OLPC cow powered batteries will permanently lose their charge over dinner?

Re:Something doesn't smell right

[walt-sjc]

Cows put out 500 liters of methane a day (that's per cow.) The obvious solution is to stick a tube up their asses and run a generator off of it. No need to make them walk. :-)

Re:Something doesn't smell right

[Bozdune]

Fine, then we'll put a mask on its face and collect its burps. No, wait, then it can't graze... never mind... FAIL

Cow Power

[ZeroExistenZ]

"This is a 5CP laptop, but if you could overclock it to 6CP."

Re:Cow Power

[Mushdot]

They should get a pat on the head for this idea.

Cow Cafe

[mrbluze]

I can see it now ... our proverbial third-world-teenager spending a sunny morning writing a slashdot journal in the shade of his cow. As he types, he notices his coffee is too strong .. no matter, a couple of squeezes of the cow and the espresso is an instant latte.

Later that evening he is having a romantic chat with his girlfriend in the next village. Things get intense and the low power warning comes on her laptop. They are cut off as a great big cowpat soils his keyboard.

(I could have gone further, but hey, this is a family show, right?)

GNU

[yourexhalekiss]

You know, I bet you could use a gnu just as well as a cow. Same electrical power, higher meta factor.

"You're using a gnu to power a GNU-powered device? My mind just exploded!"

One Cow per Child Project (OCPC)

[dajak]

The One Cow per Child Project (OCPC) applauds this initiative. The One Cow per Child Project
(OCPC) needs your charity donation to save children from cowlessness. For only $1 a day you
can feed a cow and make a child happy! Thank you for your attention.

Re:Have you mooed today?

[$RANDOMLUSER]

Remember: To err is human, to moo is bovine.

Re:Cows don't walk much

[PopeRatzo]

They should make this device "girlfriend"-sized.

You're dangerously close to talking over the readers' heads here. At least give a link to the Wikipedia entry on "girlfriend".

Any of us who've got this "girlfriend" you speak of should already have her working on our dynamo.

At least that's what I call it.

Re:Cows don't walk much

[marcello_dl]

> At least give a link to the Wikipedia entry on "girlfriend".

A girlfriend is a girl that wants to be just friend. Every girl a slashdotter encounters is like that, no need to hit wikipedia for that.

Re:Finally!

[deftcoder]

Try these commands, too:

aptitude moo
aptitude -v moo
aptitude -vv moo
aptitude -vvv moo
aptitude -vvvv moo
aptitude -vvvvv moo
aptitude -vvvvvv moo

Moo.

Re:Old hat

[pipatron]

Why don't the animals just shake their head to make the bells ring?

Re:child labor is cheap in those countries

[Anonymous Coward]

Burning them would provide more energy.

What about llamas?

[spxZA]

Aren't they good enough? That'll stay true to geekdom.

But does it have cow bells?

[Beached]

I think it will need more cow bell. Give it more cow bell.