 I've come up with an ambitious plan for my next five years. In five years I intend to be a billionaire and I'm announcing it to the world so that everyone knows.
But what if I don't make it to one billion in five years? What if I'm only worth $900 million or, oh no, $800 million?
Now some of you might be thinking, hey $800 million sounds pretty good to me, no need to be disappointed by that. Getting that close to a difficult goal is a major achievement.
Well sure, from a logical standpoint that makes sense. But you clearly haven't been paying attention to the recent outcry over the failure of the One Laptop Per Child project to meet their original goal of the $100 laptop.
A few years ago MIT's Nicholas Negroponte and the OLPC launched with the audacious goal of creating a powerful and unique laptop for the developing world that would only cost $100. However, recently the OLPC announced that the cost of their XO laptop will actually be $200 for now.
And based on some of the discussion out on the Web, this clearly means that the OLPC and the XO laptop is a massive failure. It doesn't matter that a $200 laptop alone is an unbelievable achievement or that the XO contains innovative power, networking and display technologies not found in laptops worth thousands more. Since they've come in at twice their original goal the OLPC might as well shut their doors and forget about helping millions of kids.
OK, I'm exaggerating a little bit. But for some reason the OLPC and the XO laptop has generated a fairly large share of criticism and skepticism since the very beginning.
At first many pundits said that it couldn't be done, that it would be impossible to even get close to a $100 laptop. Then some industry heavyweights, without even seeing the laptop, knocked it as a barebones toy that would be worthless to children. Now that people have seen the unique power of the XO laptop, they are criticizing the OLPC for not reaching the $100 goal (even though they've been saying for over a year that it would be over $175) and for failing to meet all of their distribution goals in third world countries.
And I have to say that I just don't get it. What is with the dislike of the OLPC? It often seems as if there are people out there who want to see it fail, and who cares if millions of kids are hurt by its failure.
Who are these people? Do they hate little kids and puppy dogs too?
To a certain degree I think they fall into two camps, those who originally said it couldn't work and who hate to be proven wrong and those technology vendors who fear that the XO could have a negative impact on their businesses.
But either way attacking the OLPC doesn't make much sense to me. We all should want to see it succeed, both for the good it will bring to children around the world and for the technological advancements it will bring to all of us.
Come to think of it, my goal to be a billionaire seems pretty selfish when compared to the goals of the OLPC. I think I'll instead set a goal to make the world better for as many people as I can.
No one can criticize that, can they? |
Comments (13)
Thanks for trying to put things into perspective. My wife and I donated (ordered)"XO's" yesterday and hope the project is a huge success. Negative Nobodies have put down excellent ideas and people since the dawn of civilization. And the greedy corporations, like Intel, we will unfortunately, have with us forever (but a boycott of them could be useful!). How anyone could put down a program with the sole aim of helping kids to learn and grow is beyond me. Lots of anger, hate, from the "destroyers" in our society. Would they please just go away and leave useful people alone.
Posted by Brad Oxford | November 15, 2007 4:34 PM
I too, have my order in place. What a wonderful cause and I'm glad I could help out. Pay no attention to the negative publicity - do what you can, buy something you can feel good about for someone you love this Christmas.
Posted by Richard Lees | November 15, 2007 10:22 PM
I personally laud Dr. Negroponte and the OLPC initiative and I hope that it succeeds, which seems to be doing well for what I've read.
Forces against it are many, and all boils down to the all mighty buck.
1. Asus and Intel have competitive products. They realized that "Gee, there's a market in here".
2. Microsoft is using all its might to put a Windows OS in every house (along with the chickens and cars).
Also, there have been a lot of misdirected moves from the OLPC folks.
1. Not make it available to the general population , until now (probably after a lot of coercion) and for 2 weeks.
2. Elitist approach on this idea that seems to be utopian to the common Joe.
These have been enough for people to get antagonistic, not to the idea, but to the OLPC foundation.
That's it, my 2 cents.
On a personal note, I rather purchase an Eee PC than purchasing the OLPC laptop. But that's just me.
Posted by Luis Anaya | November 16, 2007 2:44 PM
Hi,
Nice to see people trying to put things into perspective.
I live in Romania, which most people consider to be a poor third world country, even if it's not. I like the idea of the OLPC, as I know how hard it was for my parents to buy me my first computer. I find it amazing how people consider it to be "economically un-viable". Well, that might be because.... it's not! We are so brainwashed with the economically viable products, profit margins and financial gain in general, that our brains can's comprehend the humanitarian purpose of this program.
Of course a Eee PC would be better for the average you and me, because it runs Windows, just like every house-hold appliance in the developed world. (sarcasm).
Buying an OLPC is not getting the most "bang for your buck", for that we have fast food restaurants, second hand car dealers, discount packages, and supermarkets. OLPC is helping some poor kid in some third world country that usually makes sneakers, diamonds, oil products or electronics for us get a chance of a better life.
As a conclusion, I'd get a OLPC "2for1" deal, but I'd probably give away my OLPC to some poor kid in Romania! That seems as the best thing to do, as it doesn't run Windows :P
Nice article by the way! ;)
Posted by ShinyG | November 17, 2007 3:49 AM
Personally, I was put off when I saw the name "Nicholas Negroponte". This is the guy who tried to foist "Interent Time" onto the world, supposedly as a good deed to solve all our time-zone problems. Turned out he was just hustling cheap Swatch watches.
Everex will soon introduce a sub-$300 RETAIL laptop. It's geared for Linux, not Windows.
Posted by Ro Lee | November 17, 2007 6:08 AM
Even if every company involved donated the components from the silicon to the motherboard chipsets and so on it would still cost over $100. But by setting a goal like that they did come quite close!
Some people may see the $200+ as too much because you can get used laptops for that but they fail to understand those machines aren't built for the developing world where their may not be power sources to charge the battery and that those windows based machines use too much battery power to begin with due to all its multimedia features.
Sadly though they won't ever get used in schools because if the teachers are like American ones they'll see them as cheating devices the way palm pilots were considered. I'm of the opinion that the palm pilot was the best device ever made for schools due to its ability to read ebooks which could replace textbooks (provided their overpriced monopoly could be shattered) and its word processing and note taking features harnessed to replace paper. But as usual teachers only see them as "cheating" devices because they still cling to the idea that knowledge should be rote memorized (something Einstein rejected and why he quit school) instead of the most important thing a person can learn being where to find the answer and logically think it out which includes using all tools at their disposal.
Posted by Rob | November 17, 2007 12:15 PM
I bought two of these about 1 minute after they opened the "Give One Get One" program.
I just wish there was a way to know exactly how this will affect some child's life.
Does anyone know how many they have sold so far?
Posted by robin850 | November 18, 2007 11:02 AM
@ShinyG
=) The EEE PC from Asus is NOT running Windows, but Xandros Linux. I'm currently thinking about buying one, but its running-time is not sufficient for my needs.
Sadly there are yet no dealers in Germany offering the XO Laptop.
Posted by Rüdiger | November 19, 2007 9:30 AM
As an avid ponderer of future technologies and a firm rooted African, I thought the "IDEA" of the OLPC was brilliant. After some investigation into the inner workings and even downloading the demo interface cd, I found that the "WHAT" was not very effective. The entire project is based around improving the technological interaction of children in "third-world" countries, what I saw made me gasp in horror. It's easy to simply make a comment like it will fail...it's inviable and such like, but it's hard when you actually believe in the idea and can see the floors in the device.
For instance, Why do we need the extravagant NEW AGE colour screen? Is black and white not good enough for interacting and learning about computers and learning in general? Could the OLPC ppl not integrate and develop a teacher model with real teacher utilities (like a class SERVER, that could feed text books and lessons)? Does the inteface have to look nothing like a normal modern user inteface? I have grave concerns that the OLPC in its current format will have a negative effect on their goal, rather than a positive one.
On the brighter note, it would be brilliant to get some REAL competitors in this market area, it is (by my own research) possible to build this device for a saleable $100. But I believe this device needs to be more than just some elaborate toy developed by a "FIRST-WORLD" view point, it needs integration into a grander strategy, or it will be just that... A fundamentally brilliant, but flawed idea.
Posted by EMil Wentzel | November 20, 2007 11:49 PM
Many people welcomed the OLPC initiative, but the OLPC team was quick to shut out offers of help, for example, from developers of small Linuxes like Puppy Linux and DamnSmallLinux. OLPC worked fervently to produce a single prototype, which as of this late date, is being described as "for kids only".
Whether the kids would in fact be happy about this (imposed software limitation) remains to be seen.
To me, the goals of the project would have been achieved faster and possibly at lower cost had such offers of help welcomed and systematically integrated into the project. Sure, there would be differing models and methods, but note that the project is a learning project. And learning tends to be more fun in an environment characterized by diversity.
Posted by Raffy | November 21, 2007 3:40 AM
They do have to fear the OLPC. As soon as there is a version with european keyboard out on the market i will buy two and get one. This one is the device i have been waiting for years. Runs for hours, works in daylight and is more tough than the expensive so called ruggedized notebooks. And its a damn good development assistence too. The price even with 135 Euro (200 Dollar) will cost me round about 300 Euro including shipping for the give one get one program. This is really far less than that what i would have been willing to pay the computer industry for a notebook that is meeting my requirements. Requirements that have never been fullfilled by them but by the OLPC. So once more, they do have to fear the OLPC - this project made the evidence that it is possible to produce such a device. And we see that market analysts failed in recognizing the customers real wishes.
As a last comment: Asus eeePC comes with an absolute low resolution of 800x480, no sunlight capable display, runs only 3 hours etc. - this is therefore no real alternative to the OLPC (for me).
Posted by Ecaroh | November 21, 2007 8:42 AM
Negative creep downside depresives?? huh?
hey, let me first to say there is no santa on the other side waiting for the fax machine to beep, or the Mail/Outlook wtf@@, with a title "Receipt acquire mr. Kringle you can go ahead and give another one :)"
I can give faith of that because I live in Southamerica.
Come on, why are all the ppl trying to cheat themselves, does buying provokes somekind of guilty??
And you are wrong Jim the laptop _are_ 100 U$D price for goverments, as for my side a fair citizen that I consider myself, and given that my goverment wich I pay them taxes _have_ the fair right or whats more duty? to observe where my taxes are spent.
One million laptos makes that difference of 350 U$D to 100U$D.
Hence, everyone is soo naive about the OLPC, this simply a plan by transnationals to reduce the cost per unit of pc parts, and thus allow them to make all the other line product same cheap.
There is no Mr. Kringle, he is dead (weel almost)
see here http://www.bsu.edu/web/01bkswartz/COCACOLA.jpg
what a SHAME bought by megacorporations
As for me I expect more of this crap to bloom, It comes to my mind "cuba/OLPCcase" as an example where some guy from a linux user group was deteined because alluded and acused as technology smuggler, on a trip to an Open Source conference in Havana (he? yea right cuba also it's allowed to use free software) , if I remember the OLPC was a gift from a Red hat linux executive
Other that comes to my mind is, deputy's, of some countries "deporting" them or holding them back in airports.
Soooo let's review, back to the start:
Negroponte's own plan (from his own words)
..." I reccomend to through them from an airplane"...
Oh brilliant, I love you negroponte ; Which at on going speed of the project , so far ... is a very very, distant and remote possibility.
Besides of not being stupid (yeah, I'm not stupid and retard, don't you see??:), neither want my kids to be the nex-gen of data entry.
thnxs for reading.
bye.-
J€
Posted by Jay | December 28, 2007 10:32 AM
Well... OLPC was designed primarily for children in developing nations, right?
Like they have, or can even afford the infrastructure or service of internet?
Like it really matters, when they are struggling every day to feed their families? And I mean the children are struggling with jobs to feed their families.
Its a wonderful thing that the better-off try to take some of the burden off the backs of the lesser-off, but giving them free laptops is NOT the answer.
I think in the end OLPC is going to fail miserably in developing nations. These people need education before they need laptops. I understand the goal is to educate people through these laptops, but they need freaking schools and libraries first.
Unfortunetly, there is a paradox. They need government that will take care of shit... This can only come from education... But they need education to have a government that will take care of them.
Great idea, but invest the money where it will really make a difference.
Posted by Samy Rouabhia | March 14, 2008 1:25 AM