Researchers unveiled a prototype of a $100 hand-cranked laptop computer on Wednesday and said they hoped to place them in the hands of millions of schoolchildren around the globe. About the size of a textbook, the lime-green machines will be able to set up their own wireless networks and operate in areas without a reliable electricity supply, MIT researchers said at a United Nations technology summit.
—$100 laptops aim to bring children the world (Seattle Times)
This story broke during the week my blog was down, so I’m late to this party. One of minute of cranking is supposed to provide 40 minutes of computer power.
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Where are the precautions?
But the same wireless technology also lets *good* people connect!
We should prepare and take the necissary steps to prevent these actions.
I am not saying stop progress, but when adapting, we must think about what could and will happen. Technology is more likely to be used to evil than the Pencil and paper that one can even manufacture at home. Take the barbaric form of stone chisseling or smearing berries on cave walls. There are many forms of writing. The Wireless connection however allows many people around the world to sync up and compare the evil deeds and even perfect these deeds.
Not to mention the other evil deeds that can be carried out.
Point taken! But consider free will and literacy -- these are also tools that can be used for evil. So is fire.
Should we stamp them out for everyone just because some people can, do, and will misuse them?
Let's examine the pencils and paper remark, which would one rather acquiesce, a computer worth $100 to do their evil, or pencils and paper worth at max $1.50?
Note that it's not a charity project -- the laptops are supposed to be sold in bulk. I'm sure that if a state or school system wants to put up the money, some American kids will see the laptops. I believe these laptops are supposed to be able to create a peer-to-peer network even in the absence of a connection to the internet.
Pencils and paper can also be confiscated and used for evil, but in general I think it's safe to say children are better off with them than without them.
I cannot say that I see this working out. The motives seem to be genuine, which is part of the reason so much doubt is on this project. We have thousands of children living in places in the US, without access to the mighty internet, yet we do nothing to aid their cause. Instead, we want to create a computer that offers these children of third world countries the chance to do something we deny to our own children. I cannot say that I understand or even am willing to push this project, without first offering something similiar to our children.
For the sake of arguement, what happens when ohhh I don't know, we do give these computers away, what happens when oh the fringe groups of these third world countries confiscate these computers and the children are left with nothing, and the technology we 'gave' them can be used for destruction?
My brother first informed me of this laptop about a month ago... it sounds like something that will really help the education world, as well as areas in the Third World where people don't have the power to use computers.
I read that Governor Mitt Romney pledged to buy a ton of them for the state of MA. And the fact that they are going to use Linux means that all of these new computer users won't get frustrated and angry with Windows ;-)