Libya Purchases 1.2 mil Wind-up Laptops

An anonymous reader writes "The government of Libya is reported to have agreed to provide its 1.2m school children with a cheap, durable laptop computer by June 2008. The laptops offer internet access and are powered by a wind-up crank. They cost $100 and manufacturing begins next year, says One Laptop per Child. The non-profit association's chairman, Nicholas Negroponte, said the deal was reached on Tuesday in Libya. Professor Negroponte told the New York Times in an email that the project mirrored Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's political agenda of creating a more open Libya and he also expressed interest in purchasing the computers for poorer African neighbors."

Ummm

[2.7182]

BTW, were these things designed to be sand proof ?

Terrorists!

[crhylove]

God damn that Muammar Gaddafi, trying to make those African kids better with computers than our American kids. We need to get rid of these kinds of terrorists immediately, with their educating children and what not. What's next a Libyan bill of rights?!?!? Somebody needs to tell them that this is 2006, and the whole concept of a "Bill of Rights" is totally dated.

rhY

New Meaning

[Cytlid]

Gives a new meaning to "cranking one out".

back to the future

[minus_273]

Obligatory back to the future quote:
"It's the Lybians!"

Also

[Se7enLC]

A nuclear bomb made from pinball machine parts.

Great Scott!

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Man. Those Libyians are going to be really pissed when they find out that their plutonium wasn't used to power the laptops.

Re:Libya: highest std of living in Africa

[ProppaT]

I don't understand how having the highest STD rate in Africa means they could make use of laptops better than any other third world nation? Or even having oil for that matter... Not saying it's not nice for them and they won't make good use of the laptops, but that's roughly the equivelant of me saying "John Adams High School has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the state and the highest wealth per capita in the county, therefore if anyone could use new textbooks, it's them."

Improves Morals

[Lord Bitman]

Can't type, wind the crank, and wind the crank, all at the same time. An internet ready computer that can't be used for porn? Amazing!

Ihre Papiere schnell

[Lost Penguin]

"First of all every people should get rid of of their own dictator."

Gitmo for you

Re:how about one laptop per child in US?

[Anonymous Coward]

The United States treats its socialism the way a priest treats masturbation -- it does it very rarely, with a great amount of guilt, and tries very hard to ignore the amount of relief it brings.

Re:Really?

[MadTinfoilHatter]

So Gaddafi is no longer the boss in Lybia?

Not only that, but Libya is no longer spelled "Libya" either.

Re:Libya: highest std of living in Africa

[Ant P.]

Joke->    ~~~>

            O
You->      -+-
           / \

Re:Ummm

[EotB]

So the One Laptop Per Child program has to be proceeded by One Air-Conditioned Room Per Child then??