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For Microsoft, Windows 10 Charity Begins At Home
theodp writes: "We're investing $10 million in organizations that are upgrading the world," Microsoft announced on in its new Upgrade Your World website, which was created in conjunction with the Windows 10 launch. "We've identified nine global nonprofits, and we'd like your help choosing the 10th." The missions of the selected nonprofits include fighting global poverty, preventing children living with HIV from needlessly dying, increasing access to quality education for children in the developing world, conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends, and ensuring that all kindergartners learn 'computer science.' To paraphrase Sesame Street, can you guess which cause is not like the others? If you guessed Code.org, which wants CS made a "core" K-12 subject in U.S. schools, you're right! Coincidentally, Code.org's biggest donors include Microsoft ($3M+), Ballmer Family Giving ($3M+), and Bill Gates ($1M+). And Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi, who once reported to Satya Nadella, is coincidentally a sometimes jogging partner of Steve Ballmer, as well as the next-door neighbor of Microsoft General Counsel and Code.org Board member Brad Smith, whose FWD.us bio notes is responsible for Microsoft's philanthropic work. Code.org emerged on the scene shortly after Smith suggested that action on Microsoft's 'two-pronged' National Talent Strategy to increase K-12 CS education and the number of H-1B visas could be galvanized by 'producing a crisis'.
" ...conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends, and ensuring that all kindergartners learn 'computer science.' "
How about we start teaching our kindergartners "critical thinking" instead?
And how do his summaries keep getting through?
This is the second incomprehensible summary accepted from this user this week about Microsoft and Code.org. The first was "Well-Played: Microsoft Parlayed NSF Video 'Remake' into National CS K-12 Crisis" ( http://developers.slashdot.org... ) and now this.
Apparently he's been at this for a while, too. Here's a Gawker article about the mystery of TheoDP from 2006: http://gawker.com/178280/the-m...
Does he have dirt on the Slashdot editors?
Leave it to Slashdot to make Microsoft giving 10 million dollars to charity seem like a bad thing...
Look. Charities have a lot things to deal with already, having to use Windows shouldn't be one of them.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .