Last year I got a G1G1, and i was impressed and amazed with how well it works as a travel machine and reader. I am unable to enjoy sharing between XO rigs as I live quite rurally in California and I haven't managed to hang out with any other XO users. I would like to get my daughter one, however I will definitely wait until the clamshell touchpad design is out.
The idea is still good,, even if the statement "a cell phone is not a learning device" from Negroponte did make me want to never ever have anything to do with him again. Along with all the other troubles primarily with follow through and support for the participants abroad.
Tanya is my pal and we discussed this on facebook. Originally she asked about a webcam, however I pointed out to her that she may be able to regain vision properly if we can match her with the right scientist (who is that guy that helped people see with a chair?). She lost her eye in an auto accident returning from Burningman two years ago, and she would very much like her eye back please.
She would also accept infrared, UV and any other type of alternative vision that could go along with this. She is the sort of artist who could genuinely take advantage of this technology, and I seriously hope that we can find someone to work with her.
hells no
Some things are not forgotten or forgiven.
Who cares if they decided they want money now...thats what motivated them before.
What matters is the effort artists make to share ideas...this is like when people talk about "eyeballs" and "clicks". The point is that you can use this complex interface to distribute and confer on ideas as never before. That includes all forms of art with music being very key.
I am from the hip hop nation and my response to Metallica is "whatever".
OLPC XO laptop: several things to note.
(I have a G1 G1 and I use it the most on the road.)
Laptop on your lap:
The main portion of the heat generating elements is in the screen based area, so it is really possible to lay back and hold it on your lap. No "hot lap". It is also possible to set it down on a soft surface without building up heat in bad places. I am disabled so this is a big consideration. It actually hurts to have my vaio laptop on my lap for any length of time. Not so with the XO.
The XO is silent.
The flash drive is great, this is really sweet in a portable, and useful in many circumstances. It is the laptop I envisioned when we first all started talking laptops. Its unobtrusive.
The handle is good...all small laptops should have one. Especially if it facilitates using it as a reader the way the OLPC XO does. When I travel I just make sure that I have loaded up a few pdf or.txt books. The size of the laptop is about like a medium book and the handle makes it easy to maneuver. Having an e-reader and creation tools handy on it makes public transportation part of my workflow process. Plus I am learning small talk.
The screen in full sun is really truly readable: its very handy on the road and out and about in nature. It means that you do not have to sit in a cave.
I have yet to mesh network with it because I live remotely.
The only thing I would love added to the XO is a touch screen, and I think that over at Pixel Qi we will be seeing some inexpensive laptops leaning in that direction pretty soon.
Intel never ever *got it*.
The idea is to reach genius...not potential consumers.
They have had very thinly disguised self-aggrandizing motivations from the start.
It is significant to note that OLPC moved clear of Intel and started movement on commercial production in the same week. This project may have a slower set up on the exponential curve towards saturation than predicted...however if the XO takes off as a reader and travel rig then they may still be in production long enough to actually reach a lot of kids. There is a practicality for extending the mesh network on water towers and cell phone towers so that even without electricity many children will be able to study and share and learn using this vast resource.
The question is not "what can we give them"
it is
"what will they teach us?"
In 6 months it will still be a very useful machine and be a lot cheaper. Yes, very useful.
OLPC is an *education project*. It runs on sugar, the most commonly contributed part of the project that I know about is "Scratch" at MIT which is software that runs on "Squeak" on "Sugar". There is an elegance to the way that you can very quickly make and share images music and games in this scratch environment...you can use it on most pc's.The laptop is just part of a larger idea of extending literacy. The results are precious at any price. There is genius hidden out there in the slums and forgotten byways of the world and we need to bring it to the table to help us get out of this mess.
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too noob for funny sig
Slashdot Mirror
its happening http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/15/2008-11-15_san_francisco_artist_looks_to_replace_lo.html not really a true replacement, still something good to come from a tragedy. She is a bona fide arrtist and ready for whatever limelight might happen her way.
Last year I got a G1G1, and i was impressed and amazed with how well it works as a travel machine and reader. I am unable to enjoy sharing between XO rigs as I live quite rurally in California and I haven't managed to hang out with any other XO users. I would like to get my daughter one, however I will definitely wait until the clamshell touchpad design is out. The idea is still good,, even if the statement "a cell phone is not a learning device" from Negroponte did make me want to never ever have anything to do with him again. Along with all the other troubles primarily with follow through and support for the participants abroad.
Tanya is my pal and we discussed this on facebook. Originally she asked about a webcam, however I pointed out to her that she may be able to regain vision properly if we can match her with the right scientist (who is that guy that helped people see with a chair?). She lost her eye in an auto accident returning from Burningman two years ago, and she would very much like her eye back please. She would also accept infrared, UV and any other type of alternative vision that could go along with this. She is the sort of artist who could genuinely take advantage of this technology, and I seriously hope that we can find someone to work with her.
hells no Some things are not forgotten or forgiven. Who cares if they decided they want money now...thats what motivated them before. What matters is the effort artists make to share ideas...this is like when people talk about "eyeballs" and "clicks". The point is that you can use this complex interface to distribute and confer on ideas as never before. That includes all forms of art with music being very key. I am from the hip hop nation and my response to Metallica is "whatever".
Laptop on your lap: The main portion of the heat generating elements is in the screen based area, so it is really possible to lay back and hold it on your lap. No "hot lap". It is also possible to set it down on a soft surface without building up heat in bad places. I am disabled so this is a big consideration. It actually hurts to have my vaio laptop on my lap for any length of time. Not so with the XO.
The XO is silent. The flash drive is great, this is really sweet in a portable, and useful in many circumstances. It is the laptop I envisioned when we first all started talking laptops. Its unobtrusive.
The handle is good...all small laptops should have one. Especially if it facilitates using it as a reader the way the OLPC XO does. When I travel I just make sure that I have loaded up a few pdf or .txt books. The size of the laptop is about like a medium book and the handle makes it easy to maneuver. Having an e-reader and creation tools handy on it makes public transportation part of my workflow process. Plus I am learning small talk.
The screen in full sun is really truly readable: its very handy on the road and out and about in nature. It means that you do not have to sit in a cave. I have yet to mesh network with it because I live remotely. The only thing I would love added to the XO is a touch screen, and I think that over at Pixel Qi we will be seeing some inexpensive laptops leaning in that direction pretty soon.
Intel never ever *got it*. The idea is to reach genius...not potential consumers. They have had very thinly disguised self-aggrandizing motivations from the start. It is significant to note that OLPC moved clear of Intel and started movement on commercial production in the same week. This project may have a slower set up on the exponential curve towards saturation than predicted...however if the XO takes off as a reader and travel rig then they may still be in production long enough to actually reach a lot of kids. There is a practicality for extending the mesh network on water towers and cell phone towers so that even without electricity many children will be able to study and share and learn using this vast resource. The question is not "what can we give them" it is "what will they teach us?"