Power Scheme for OLPC Project Falling Into Place 126
robotrachel writes "According to Technology Review, the $100 laptop intended for children in the developing world will be powered in much the same way that you might start an outboard motor on a boat. The new power system will 'make the laptop much easier to power than it would be with a hand crank, in part, because the users will be able to operate the generator in a variety of ways, including holding the device (the size of two hockey pucks) in one hand and pulling the string with the other, or clamping the generator to a desk, attaching the string to one foot, and using leg power.'" There are plenty of sewing machine treadles in the world, too -- I hope someone can figure out a way to combine them with the new design.
Re:Solar Cells? (Score:3, Insightful)
Ok, after spening $120 for the solar cells, how much is left over for the $100 PC?
Or, if you decide to only use 3 of these cells (for $90), you have $10 for the rest of the PC. I'm sure that can make a useful PC for less than the cost of a cheap calculator.
Heck, 1 of these is almost 1/3 the price of the entire $100 PC. And then it will only work during clear daylight hours. If you add batteries for continuous work, then you will have to leave your PC out in the sun when you go to work. Good opportunity for someone to collect up several of these (theft) sitting out in the open. Even if the theif only got $1.00 for each one of these he stole, that is still *very* good money in many of the countries being targeted, where the average wage is often less than $40 per year (less than $1.00/week).
Re:Do they really need a computer (Score:4, Insightful)
Sure you can give them food and water, but if you also try and get them computers to learn then they might be able to pull future generations out of poverty and improve the overall living conditions of everyone in the area.
Re:Solar Cells? (Score:5, Insightful)
1) Doesn't work in the dark.
2) Expensive (that little one, only powerful enough to charge a cell phone battery, $30
Re:Is it just me or .. (Score:2, Insightful)
The laptops will have network capabilities. Didn't you read about them?
Whether or not there's Internet for these children doesn't matter anyways - there's no Internet without computers, and they need the computers before they can have Internet. Maybe later someone can give them Internet.
"So does anyone out there have a non-connected PC hooked up performing some life-changing work, or are they just useless when disconnected from the wwworld?"
Does anyone out there have a connected PC hooked up performing some life-changing work, or are they just useless when connected to the wwworld?
When's the last time most people have done anything life-changing with a PC, with or without the Internet? Sometimes the Internet is detrimental, too - a lot of people spend entirely too much time online, and setting down a small schoolchild and letting him use the Internet all day isn't so good.
PCs don't need to be hooked to the Internet to be useful. There were useful programs and stuff before the Internet became mainstream.
And at least when the kids do get the Internet, they'll already know how to use a computer.
Re:But you can own your very own... (Score:2, Insightful)
Unfortunately, due to the demand for them in demographics such as the Slashdot readership, this probably means that there will be a somewhat lucrative market for laptops taken from or sold by the students. The colour and other such anti-theft features won't prevent them from being desireable to people who actually want the specific laptop. While there will certainly be abuse in these sales, if a student can sell their laptop for $400 and then claim to have lost it, using the proceeds from the sale to purchase a replacement, then the only ones hurt by the sale will be those who subsidise the production. It may be that OLPC will be compelled to sell to the general public for this reason.
No internet needed. What did YOU learn on? (Score:2, Insightful)
My Apple ][ GS can still give some of those poor kids a hellva education with all the software i have for it. Thats what I learnt on
Re:I'm not the troll you're looking for (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll take you at your word that you're not trolling, and in fairness, your scepticism is phrased a lot more gently than many others'.
I think your misunderstanding stems from the assumption that we'd be skipping an essential step, when in fact what's happening is that we're moving straight to a point that other (developed) nations had to reach in small increments.
Wireless networks like the kind used in these laptops are infrastructure. They're also many times more cost-effective than laying cable into every home, and many times more versatile as well. True, they come with their own contraints and limitations (e.g. calling 911 from a tunnel) but most people in the developing world are happy to accept them. You see, there's simply no way that they could pay for the kind of infrastructure that exists in the US, for example.
There are innumerable opportunities for people all over the world to work in service industries that require only a network-connected computer and a well-educated user. People living in many developing nations can leap straight to the head of this particular queue without having to spend a generation working in the sweatshops and mines as our grandparents and parents did. IMO, that's a Good Thing.
In some ways, this actually plays to the advantage of the developing world. It means that they can immediately derive the benefits of technological change that, elsewhere in the world, was achieved in small increments, and which is restricted in important ways by what came before. A good analogue for this is England's experience in the later stages of the Industrial Revolution. England pioneered most of the technologies and processes, and had pride of place for some time. But by the time Germany, France and the US got moving, they were able to move straight to the state of the art, while England still had a huge investment in first generation systems that were not nearly as competitive.