[geeks] OLPCs for sale...

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

On Fri, Nov 16, 2007 at 07:23:15AM -0600, Lionel Peterson wrote:
> Negroponte likes to point out that the family can use it as a light source at 
> night, since they don't have electricity in their homes... Really, this is 
> what he said on 60 Minutes. I was floored - why not send them small solar 
> panels with rechargeable batteries and an LED light array? I would probably 
> cost, oh, about a hundred some dollars less than a freakin laptop!

Because with the software and education they are getting that's all
they can do. :-(

IMHO they should not have given them directly to kids. They should have
given them to an NGO like CARE to have one in a village. Then the
"computer person" could show them how to use their computers BEFORE they
got them.

I also don't like solar panels. I prefer what a small island in the
south Pacific did. They bought a huge supply of NiMH batteries and
set up central charging stations. You bring back your batteries 
and get a fully charged set. 

In the quantities they bought them, a set of 4 costs less than $4
including pro-rating the chargers. Each set is good for a charge a day
for a year.

For $10 a home you could light them with an LED lantern and a set of
batteries. Since a set of batteries will run the lantern for several 24
hour days, the batteries will die of old age before they run out of
charge cycles.

Geoff.

-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm at mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
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