The scarcer a resource is, the most lucrative it is to the owner. Considering that fossil fuels are an incredibly rich supply of concentrated biochemical resources, why would anyone want to sell as much as possible today, using up their supply of the non-renewable resource? I understand short-term profits and quarterly shareholder reports. But I can't help comparing this situation to a person or family who sells off all of their resources for short-term gain. Is that ever good for the family or the fossil fuel company? Part of me is a deep "conservative" in that I think we need to conserve resources so that they are there when we REALLY need them. ~ just a naive thought ...

Several posters have replied with "Gcompris," but they're buried in unmodded Hell. Seriously, the Gcompris package (http://gcompris.net/-en-) is perfect for 3-to-10 year olds. It includes about 80 games that are both fun and educational. EASY interface with no pull-down menus so fine motor control isn't needed. It works well on Windows and Linux, and it's been spreading around the world for years. If Slashdotter have children (a rarity?), they need to know about this collection that will keep a 4-year old occupied, entertained, and learning for hours. Among the 80 apps are some that are purely creative (drawing, etc), musical, sciency (real word?), and even school-related math

Medieval scribes wrote book curses in the "colophon" at the end of the book; here are two favorites:

Whoever steals this book let him die the death; let him be frizzled in a pan; may the falling sickness rage within him; may he be broken on the wheel and be hanged.

For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not, ... let it change into a serpent in his hand and rend him. Let him be struck with palsy, and all his members blasted. Let him languish in pain crying out for mercy, & let there be no surcease until he sing in dissolution. Let bookworms gnaw his entrails. ... Let the flames of Hell consume him forever.
— San Pedro monastery, Barcelona

... and one a bit older (from Asurbanipal's library in Assyria 650 BCE):

Clay tablet of Ashurbanipal, King of the World, King of Assyria, who trusts in Ashur and Ninlil. Your lordship is without equal, Ashur, King of the Gods! Whoever removes [this tablet], writes his name in place of my name, may Ashur and Ninlil, angered and grim, cast him down, erase his name, his seed, in the land.

A helpful response needs more info from poster. Are you in an apartment with just one vulnerable door? If so, a GOOD lock may be a wise approach (Google lockpicking to see all the common locks that can be picked in a minute). The best alarm systems are often the simplest (I used to install alarms). Visit a Radio Shack for ideas. Surveillance systems can give you evidence, but they don't prevent break ins, and they only deter them if you announce the surveillance. The biggest variables involve the specifics of your place: vulnerable windows/doors, well-lit, highly-public exterior or dark doorways and windows behind bushes. Bottom line: if a burglar sees that you've chosen a smart lock, and if he is pretty sure there's any kind of alarm, he'll usually try someplace easier.

I worked as a teacher for 20 years and a tech administrator for 12, and I know how schools work from the inside. Meaningful change must be supported by the administration and the school board or it dies quietly. School board meetings are public forums at which the public is invited to speak for a few minutes on issues of concern. As a parent and community member, you have more voice that teachers and many principals. In less than three minutes, tell the board what you did, that you used free software and cast-off computers that are more resistant to viruses and abuse than their current systems. Explain how they could support expanding such an initiative at minimal cost. You could offer to host a training session for interested teachers or to present the idea in greater detail to their IT director. Don't expect them to endorse your idea right away because they fear change and new ideas. Follow up in three months at another public meeting, asking to see if anyone has pursued these tested ways of expanding technology access to students. "There's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." -- Good Luck on a noble endeavor!