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U.N. Group Moves to Narrow Digital Divide [Barf]
AP via Yahoo! ^ | 11/17/05 | MATT MOORE, Associated Press Writer

Posted on 11/17/2005 6:57:53 AM PST by jjm2111

TUNIS, Tunisia - A U.N. technology summit was focused Thursday on bringing more communications, including Internet access, to developing countries where the cost has been too high and the technology too low-tech.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and Senegalese President H.E. Wade were among the leaders scheduled to address the World Summit on the Information Society, which ends on Friday.

At the same time, several companies and organizations were unveiling their plans to bring the world closer and, in a sense, narrow the digital divide, by providing laptops that cost just US$100 (euro85) to portable, satellite-based radios that can pull in international programming from just about anywhere.

[snip]

Microsoft Corp., the world's largest maker of software, unveiled a new network of learning centers in Tunisia that will train people to be teachers in technology.

[snip]

Late Wednesday, a text-book sized laptop boasting wireless network access and a hand-crank to provide electricity was unveiled by Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman of MIT Media Lab.

The machines will sell for US$100, making them accessible to millions of school-aged children worldwide, he said.

[snip]

Negroponte said the aim is to have governments or donors pick up the cost of the machines with the children who receive them having full ownership.

[snip]

Negroponte said he expects 1 million of them to be sold to those countries. He did not say who would build the machine, which will cost US$110 to make, but at least five are considering bids to do so.

He said the laptop, lime green in color, would run on an open source operating system, such as Linux.

[snip]

He said they were colored lime, with a yellow hand crank, to make them appealing to children and to fend off potential thieves.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Government
KEYWORDS: computer; digitaldivide; laptop; un; unesco
God, I hate the UN. Also, why would a hand crank on a computer be appealing to children? How would the color fend off thieves? We're talking about Africa. They are so stupid.
1 posted on 11/17/2005 6:57:53 AM PST by jjm2111
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To: jjm2111

dear mr negroponte needs to pay for this out of his pocket, because when he mentions govts, i know im somehow going to get a bill for one of these things. and just how long will these computers work in third world environment, where people often share their home with the livestock? dirt floors, etc etc. but the most important thing is will there be a help desk in india to help when experiencing problems with your machine?


2 posted on 11/17/2005 7:02:21 AM PST by son of caesar (son of caesar)
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To: jjm2111
"TUNIS, Tunisia - A U.N. technology summit was focused Thursday on bringing more communications, including Internet access, to developing countries where the cost has been too high and the technology too low-tech."
On a continent that can barely handle the centuries-old tech advances like the adz, and sails, some jackass is going to hand out $100, hand-crank-powered, ugly boxes.
Well there you go, in ten years we'll be getting all of our computers and software from countries that are still ruled by tyrants, and who see genocide as a logical way of settling land disputes and culture clashes.
3 posted on 11/17/2005 7:05:33 AM PST by benjamin032
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To: jjm2111
Yeah, Let's put the EU and Third World Fascists in charge of the Internet. Really want the Internet to become a wholly controlled subsidiary of Hate Americans Inc. To hell with them.
4 posted on 11/17/2005 7:06:07 AM PST by MNJohnnie (America is safest when the US Congress is on recess)
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To: benjamin032

And quit calling them developing countries, they haven't developed in 2000 years!


5 posted on 11/17/2005 7:06:43 AM PST by benjamin032
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To: jjm2111

Screw them, we'll start our own Internet.

Oh wait, we did.


6 posted on 11/17/2005 7:07:00 AM PST by AbeKrieger (Islam is the virus that causes al-Qaeda.)
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To: jjm2111

How about bridging the freedom gap and shutting down the despots around the world?

Oh wait, the UN supported Saddam's terror regime which had rape rooms, cut the hands off of prisoners, sponsored terrorism, and bought the silence of criticism from some with millions in misdirected oil sales.


7 posted on 11/17/2005 7:10:53 AM PST by weegee (To understand the left is to rationalize how abortion can be a birthright.)
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To: son of caesar

Hey, instead of forcing Africa into the 21st century, let's pay for some tech that will be used to hammer fenco posts into the ground for goat pens.


8 posted on 11/17/2005 7:12:29 AM PST by benjamin032
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To: benjamin032

Hush. They ARE developing all sorts of new online scams, like the email scampaign to "smuggle" Nigerian funds into American citizens bank accounts (only to actually loot those accounts).


9 posted on 11/17/2005 7:13:46 AM PST by weegee (To understand the left is to rationalize how abortion can be a birthright.)
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To: weegee

So maybe they aren't as low tech as I thought?


10 posted on 11/17/2005 7:15:00 AM PST by benjamin032
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To: jjm2111

This is the globalized version of "The Little Red Hen."


11 posted on 11/17/2005 7:15:09 AM PST by lady lawyer
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To: jjm2111
"Late Wednesday, a text-book sized laptop boasting wireless network access and a hand-crank to provide electricity."

Think about that for a minute. In a country w/ no electricity, the powers that be think that what's really needed is laptops for the children.

A substantial portion of the world's population lacks even safe drinking water, but the 1st world thinks spending $100 apiece on laptops is a priority.
12 posted on 11/17/2005 7:23:37 AM PST by Pessimist
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To: jjm2111

13 posted on 11/17/2005 7:23:59 AM PST by Dallas59 (“You love life, while we love death.” - Al-Qaeda / Democratic Party)
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To: jjm2111

This is so stupid! They're putting hand cranks on these things to generate electricity because they have none now! How about bringing them into the 19th century first...then worry about the computers after that happens!


14 posted on 11/17/2005 7:27:20 AM PST by WKUHilltopper
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To: WKUHilltopper
I believe they need alot more than a hand cranked computer..The UN is out of this world...


15 posted on 11/17/2005 7:36:28 AM PST by Dallas59 (“You love life, while we love death.” - Al-Qaeda / Democratic Party)
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To: jjm2111

An example of why poor countries are poor:
http://www.neoperspectives.com/charity.htm

'Charitable Corruption'

I doubt this MIT thing will come off as planned although it is getting massive media coverage.

Why would any American companies go somewhere where the murderer Qadafi is speaking?


16 posted on 11/17/2005 7:37:12 AM PST by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/gasoline_and_government.htm)
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To: jjm2111
This guy is ready to go......
17 posted on 11/17/2005 7:41:15 AM PST by abigailsmybaby ("This is the sort of English up with which I will not put." Winston Churchill)
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