[Air-l] One Laptop Per Child

[J. J.]

Technology is used in a broader context to satisfy a medical or human right 
need. Then again, technology is used to kill other people too.

Maybe that's why medical, military and human rights teams do use technology 
to achieve their missions. I think that in the OLPC case, the problem is in 
the "act of doing." Who gets to give? Who gets to receive?

And as a result, the question remains: what is the mission of the $100 
laptop? A good analogy I've heard: even if you speak four languages you 
still have to have something to say.

Jarek


>From: "Pam Brewer" <pam.brewer at murraystate.edu>
>Reply-To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
>To: <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
>Subject: Re: [Air-l] One Laptop Per Child
>Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 09:39:52 -0500
>
>Several of the posts in this thread discuss the difference between giving
>and empowering--empowering through technological fluency as Jocelyn
>mentioned in her post.  Medical and human rights teams travel the globe; do
>we need technology teams?  Do we have them?
>
>Pam
>
>Pamela Estes Brewer
>Lecturer -- Coordinator, Professional Writing
>Department of English and Philosophy
>Murray State University
>PhD Student in Technical Communication & Rhetoric, Texas Tech University
>270-809-4719
>fax 270-809-4545
>pam.brewer at murraystate.edu
>
>
>On March 1, 2006, Murray State University will begin moving all its phone
>numbers in the 762 exchange to an 809 exchange. My new numbers will be
>270-809-4719 (office), and 270-809-4545 (FAX).
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
>[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Christian Fuchs
>Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 5:22 PM
>To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
>Subject: Re: [Air-l] One Laptop Per Child
>
>
>For a paper I have recently written a comment on Negroponte's $100 laptop 
>as
>strategy for bridging the global digital divide by giving cheap 
>technologies
>to developing countries. I would like to share these comments, maybe 
>someone
>wants to comment on them.
>
>Best
>Christian
>
>"Nicholas Negroponte and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) association have
>introduced the $100 laptop as a strategy for advancing computer technology
>in developing countries. The problem is that this is a technology that is
>inferior to Western standards (very slow processor, no hard disk and 
>drives,
>etc.) and hence can be produced and sold rather cheaply. If the $100 laptop
>is widely diffused in the Third World, Western actors selling these
>computers will derive profits, and a global divide in technological 
>progress
>and standards will emerge that separates advanced Western technology users
>from users of less-advanced technologies in the Third World. What is needed
>are not new business strategies, but solutions to the material and social
>causes of the global digital divide as well as free advanced hardware,
>infrastructure, and software that are based on open standards and copy-left
>licenses. That Microsoft and Intel are critical of the $100 laptop doesn't
>mean that it is automatically a good idea; this is rather a manifestation 
>of
>the competition for profit and customers in developing countries. Open
>source technologies have a potential to transcend market logic, what is
>needed is an advanced $0 laptop with free software for people in developing
>countries as well as criticism of the logic that has caused the divide
>between developing and developed countries and solutions to the social,
>economic, political, and cultural inequalities that underpin the global
>digital divide".
>
>______________________________
>Christian Fuchs
>Assistant Professor for Internet and Society
>ICT&S Center - Advanced Studies and Research in Information and
>Communication Technologies & Society (http://www.icts.uni-salzburg.at)
>University of Salzburg Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 18 5020 Salzburg Austria Phone
>++43/662/8044 4823 christian.fuchs at sbg.ac.at
>Information-Society-Technology: http://cartoon.iguw.tuwien.ac.at/christian
>Managing Editor of tripleC: http://triplec.uti.at
>
>
>
>-----Ursprungliche Nachricht-----
>Von: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
>[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org]Im Auftrag von J. J.
>Gesendet: Mittwoch, 7. Juni 2006 00:05
>An: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
>Betreff: [Air-l] One Laptop Per Child
>
>
>
>Here it is: http://www.laptop.org/
>
>Jarek
>
>
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