Thursday, November 30, 2006
Laptops... an update
A while back I had a post about laptops. Libyan school children are supposed to be getting laptops, a part of the One Laptop per Child project. I found an update about the project, here. - there's even a video showing a laptop in action.
2 comments:
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After living in Libya for twenty-six years you would think my Arabic would be perfect, but it is far, far, far from that. I do get my point ... -
In my last post I wrote about how I felt on the first day of my arrival back to Libya after a month's absence. I said it was dirtier and...
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The rains have finally come, accompanied by lightening and thunder. The weather is cooler and the dust has settled. We'll see how treac...
let us wish it will materialize and see if LTT will remain a monopoly or new and better international companies will be established in this lovely country or ours.
ReplyDeletei have started a new blog, http://abu3wina.blogspot.com/ in arabic. the purpose of the blog is to talk about LTT services.I started with the cost of subscription that are out of reach for most of the Libyan internet users. if you agree please comment and let your libyan readers know about my blog as you did with many other bloggers. thanks
I think this whole project is a bit too gimmicky, at least as it relates to Libya. Giving a kid a laptop is like the old "give a man a fish..." adage. What happens in a few years when the things go obsolete? Who will do the maintenance, the updates and upgrades? And what has killed every undertaking in Libya, other than failure to maintain, upgrade and update? Look at every school, every hospital, malls, you name it. It all looks nice and shiny for the inaugural photo ops, then it is downhill from there.
ReplyDeleteThe project is a perfect fit for those interested in large-scale publicity gimmicks, which means a perfect fit for the Libyan dictatorship. Do you all remember the "Jamahiriya Rocket?" That's the car that was supposedly designed by Gaddafi because of "his concern for humanity," said the revolutionary airbags, and it was showcased on the occasion of Gaddafi's surrendering of the Libyan statte officers accused of crimes against humanity! What happened to it? Gone, finished, spent, yesterday's news! The same distasteful gimmick was repeated last summer when Gaddafi Jr. gathered some 15,000 buffoons in a tent to sell them snake oil, and of course, outside the tent there was a car that was promised to every hungry buffoon. He also told them that "The Americans" are going to provide laptops Libyan chilldren. Trust me, the Americans are not that stupid!
The linked page says very little about Libya in particular, but it does say Thailand's new rulers have canceled, and it says "The OLPC project aims to distribute -- free of charge -- millions of Linux-based laptop computers, complete with their own power sources, to needy children around the world." And recall the other fact that Libya paid (or committed) some $200M for these "freebies." And Mr. Gaddafi Jr. was promising the mob that the Americans were going to give them laptops. Can there be a stronger proof of gimmickry than paying for freebies? No. But to the end of time, you can always find some cheering beggars to fool for some time.