Change The World, One Laptop At A Time
Looking to buy your child a laptop this holiday season? If so, then you have until December 31 to participate in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program and receive an XO laptop for your little geek.Not only will your child receive a revolutionary new computer, one will also be donated to a needy, third-world child. Studies have shown that students in all cultures learn more readily when they have access to a computer, which is why MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte started the OLPC program.
This is the first time that the XO computer has been available to consumers in the US and Canada. The laptop is innovative in its design, as it was created to withstand both a rambunctious child and the harshest of weather conditions. After all, these computers will be given to kiddos who live in extreme environments.
For a limited time, this "Give One, Get One" deal will cost $399. Out of that contribution, $200 is tax-deductible.
I think this is a great opportunity for the holidays and a wonderful program overall. Not only will your child be able to own a state-of-the-art computer designed just for his/her needs, you will help to empower an impoverished child who has never owned a computer. Of course, $399 might be a bit steep for you. OLPC is currently accepting donations, no matter how small, if you'd still like to contribute.
This is your chance to become a philanthropic geek!
What a great organization! I think that every parent who can afford this should participate.
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Been reading since earlier this week. Glad to know we are not the only geek couple out there (there are surprisingly few even online.)
We have talked off and on about this and think it is a great idea that may end up having some negative repercussions depending on how they are distributed (the site didn't give much insight into that side of things.) My husband is nervous about the Linux aspect, while I am thrilled that the Open Source community finally has a mutual goal that will enable them to create quality games for children that are appealing and easy to use. I used Linux for over a year but finally had to give it up because too few games were available for my children to use on my machine and I can only code webpages--not Python. If the benefits outweigh the possible downsides (makes me nervous having networking that tells the user where other children are--especially here in the US.) I desperately want to get one of these for our oldest (the three of them have two rebuilts between them) but hubby is a sit back and wait person and wants to read what the other geeks have to say about it.
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All valid points. I'm probably not as paranoid as I should be about the Big Brother aspect. We won't be participating with this, if only b/c we can't afford it right now. Still, I wanted to get word out there about the program.
Like you said, we will see how it works out. Thanks for stopping by!
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