BlogHer - The Business End of High Tech - Comments

Hardware

Virginia DeBolt — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 07:24:22 -0500

I read the comments on your blog, Beth. The fact that KhmerOS won't fit on the machine seems important when you consider the core mission of OLPC is to get computers into the hands of children in places like Cambodia. I wonder if the commenter on your blog has communicated with OLPC about this issue?

http://www.webteacher.ws/
http://first50.wordpress.com/

There's more abou tthis ..

Beth Kanter — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:33:23 -0500

Some interesting comments about hardware over at my blog
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2007/09/give-one-get-on.html

Not a hardware geek. Is this something of interest?

Thanks

Virginia DeBolt — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:12:42 -0500

Thanks for your two cents and for clearing up the question about designating recipients.

http://www.webteacher.ws/
http://first50.wordpress.com/

Here's my two cents

Beth Kanter — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:29:55 -0500

It's a great project, wish I could get a few to a specific student or school in Cambodia ..
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2007/09/give-one-get-on.html

There isn't anything specific yet about who the recipients are -- so maybe by the time they launch in November we'll know the details.

I heard, but can't confirm

Virginia DeBolt — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:20:31 -0500

I've looked all over the One Laptop Per Child web site and cannot confirm what I heard about being able to specify the child who would receive the donated computer. I see no way to control who gets it on the site. Maybe someone else knows something about this and can chime in.

http://www.webteacher.ws/
http://first50.wordpress.com/

Transparency

Lia — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:00:24 -0500

The idea of buying a laptop and giving one to someone else for free is interesting, but nevertheless risky. You have to believe what is printed on paper. Wouldn't it be more interesting if you actually knew what country or town or village your laptop was being sent to?

Even though I still give to various charities on good faith, since the occurrence of micro-financing, my tolerance for broad statements such as "machines will be given a child in a developing nation" has become less. When I know the name of the country, city, or even the person... it makes me feel as though my money is somehow well spent. I know that this is irrational, but it is useful in helping me identify with the situation or person far away.

ia from luebeck, germany

Author of the yum yum cafe and coauthor of the Red Tent Blog.

The Business End of High Tech

Virginia DeBolt — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:01:24 -0500

The New York Times and many other media sources reported on the Buy a Laptop for a Child, Get Another Laptop Free story. Both Americans and Canadians have a opportunity of buy two of the laptops for $399. You get one for yourself, and the other one is a gift. According to The New York Times,

One of the machines will be given a child in a developing nation, and the other one will be shipped to the purchaser by Christmas. The donated computer is a tax-deductible charitable contribution. The program will run for two weeks, with orders accepted from Nov. 12 to Nov. 26.

The laptops are part of the One Laptop Per Child organization. You can get one, give one (G1G1) here. If you want to participate, sign up and XOGiving will send you a reminder in November. If you don't really want one for yourself, you could spend $200 or $400 right now and donate one or both computers.

BlogHer Contributing Editor Beth Kanter has some personal experience with the way this program works. She hasn't had time to write a complete post on it at Beth's Blog yet, but she did some ranting on Twitter as a preview. (You must be a member of Twitter to read it.)

It created less than a tidal wave of hoopla this week when Microsoft quietly announced that it would begin putting Windows XP in stores again for Windows Vista users who wanted to "downgrade." It seems business users in particular found it hard to move to Vista because of its huge graphics and memory demands.

Dori Smith commented on this quiet admission of failure from Microsoft at Backup Brain. She points to Ray Ozzie (Chief Software Architect at Microsoft) in a piece called One Thing About Ray Ozzie.

So, what's the one thing that explains what Ozzie has (and hasn't) done in the two-plus years he's been at MS?

In my opinion, it's this:
Ray Ozzie has never in his life,
—ever—
not once
—ever—
shipped software that an end-user wanted to buy and install on their computer.
No, Groove was not an end-user product, and I never heard of anyone run Lotus Notes by choice. Vista is just more of the same.

And what's the latest from Microsoft's arch enemy?

Apple never fails to come up with some snazzy new technology/business idea. The latest will appeal to fans of Starbucks coffee. According to Jacqui Cheng, writing at Ars Technica, Starbucks to spread 50 million pieces of iTunes love. The report says,

They won't just be any song downloads (no "New Kids on the Block" for you!), however, they'll be "Song of the Day" gift cards, according to the Associated Press. These will be from 37 artists that are signed on with Starbucks' Music label, including Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Joss Stone, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Annie Lennox, and Band of Horses. "Joker Man" by Bob Dylan will be the first song available to customers on October 2, says the AP.

For those unfamiliar, the Starbucks partnership means that anyone with an iPhone or iPod touch that comes within range of a participating Starbucks will be able to see a special, Starbucks-only section of the Wi-Fi Music Store. It'll display what's playing right now, along with the last 10 songs or so, and the service will be free (no login required).

Don't forget to carry your iPhone or iPod touch when you're headed for Starbucks. But don't worry if you don't have either of those. You can drink your Starbucks and get a gift card good for a free iTunes download that you get the old fashioned way, using your home computer.