austraLasia 1136
Computers for the kids: at $100 they're a steal!
TOKYO: 19th May 2005 -- The story comes first from Tokyo,
but the developers are likely to be from the MIT (Massachusets Institute of
Technology). Every chance, then, that this is a story that will
interest Salesians from our region, given that there is an opportunity forthcoming to give even the lowliest child personal access
to new technologies.
The plan to produce and distribute personal computers
for no more than USD 100 is expected to take a major step forward in June with
the receipt of the first orders. MIT is waiting until it can assure orders
totalling 6 million units.
MIT's basic aim is to provide laptop computers for every
child supplied via countries who wish to take up the project. MIT's Media
Lab Chairman, Nicholas Negroponte, was in Tokyo recently to promote the project,
and spoke as part of a conference paralleling the UN World Summit on
Information.
It is MIT's view that many developing countries are
already installing broadband possibilities, reaching villages as well as
cities. If they can combine this with a school curriculum in
information technology and offer cheap but serviceable laptops to children, then
millions can have access.
Distribution, promotion and profit are what hikes costs of computers today, accounting for at least
half the cost, according to Negroponte. Reduce or eliminate these
elements, and with some re-engineering of the product itself, the $100 mark is
attainable, he says.
Two thirds of the remaining ordinary cost of
a laptop are absorbed by display panel and associated backlighting.
MIT plans to reduce costs there too with a projection display system costing
only around $30.
The plan is to run a tiny operating system, to wit, LINUX. Distribution is still being worked
through but Red Hat, part of the Open Source movement and China's
Red Flag software are offered as possible contenders. The first generation will sport a 500 Mhz processor, 256 Mb of main memory, 1 Gb of
flash memory in place of a hard drive and a wireless LAN connection.
Machines will automatically connect with others, forming a mesh network.
They will run software including Skype Voice over IP application.
China is expected to order 3 million machines and
Brazil 1 milion. Once the orders for a remaining 2 million are placed
production will begin immediately.
It almost sounds too good to be true! Machines
will not be available in shops but through a government decision to purchase on
behalf of education. Salesians might wish to
lobby their education ministries to give it serious
thought. For further information checkout
laptop.media.mit.edu
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VOCABULARY
a steal: cheap. Contemporary
colloquial English often uses a verb as a noun e.g. 'a good read'.
forthcoming: about to happen
hikes costs: causes costs to rise
steeply.
to wit: namely,
i.e.
contenders: one who takes a part, offers to play a
role
sport: to sport means to display, to show.
Its use is colloquial
lobby: as a verb, it means to represent a view,
possibly as a pressure group, before government
checkout: or 'check out'. Either way it
means to view, to see, to check.
___________________
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