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@murraystate.edu> Reply-To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org To: <air-l@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@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@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Christian Fuchs Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 5:22 PM To: air-l@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@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@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org]Im Auftrag von J. J. Gesendet: Mittwoch, 7. Juni 2006 00:05 An: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Betreff: [Air-l] One Laptop Per Child
Here it is: http://www.laptop.org/
Jarek
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