OLPC to Drop Tablets from Sky in Developing Countries

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Oh great, give a free tablet to someone who will never in their lifetime have the mental capacity on how to actually use the device because of the lack of education of where they live.
 
What, they can't spend a few more resources physically handing the tablets to the children to ensure they are in the right hands? That's just laziness and cheap strategy on their part.
 
[citation][nom]drapacioli[/nom]What, they can't spend a few more resources physically handing the tablets to the children to ensure they are in the right hands? That's just laziness and cheap strategy on their part.[/citation]

You see what they are doing if you just drop something people know nothing about into their hands and seeing if they can use it.
 
[citation][nom]drapacioli[/nom]What, they can't spend a few more resources physically handing the tablets to the children to ensure they are in the right hands? That's just laziness and cheap strategy on their part.[/citation]

If these things can surf for porn, and they are physically handled carefully only to children, some children may get hurt the next day when adults steal them. Better to just dump them in the desert.
 
""Adults may be able to steal it, but they won't be able to use it ... maybe an older brother will get a hold of it, use it for pornography - that's life," Negroponte said. "

How does this work if you're an adult and somebody's older brother at the same time? Can you use the tablet for pornography or can't you?
 
Tablets without wireless to hook into? Or are they just expecting the wireless will "just work" without any help. OLPC was a decent idea, but this... this is just nuts!
 
this idea sounds stupid and dangerous. too crazy to not to be a pr stunt.
may be the tablet cost went up.
or may be they realized that the tablet can't play crysis and they don't want to be near the gamer villagers (or village gamers..?) when they realize this.
 
Well, it may sound like news to all of us since they plan to drop it from the sky but the main issue was and is that the OLPC was and is a piece of really old tech which had been rejected with it's proposal by a few developing countries since they already had better stuff at cheaper rates than the OLPC.
The idea of the e Education to the remote areas was good. But the implementation of such networks is years behind their time. The OLPC was subsidized but the Carriers aren't going to subsidize data packages or they will have to cut costs for the urban people too.
For all you know the OLPC planes might just get shot out of the air for Violating airspace in some countries.
 
These are human beings not lab monkeys. Treat them with respect, actually go in person to deliver the devices so they done wind up in the hands of rebels who will use the technology to research weapons and tactics and co-ordinate attacks.
 
Hmm, if they want to educate them why not give them books translated in their own language? I bet it's much cheaper and some people will actually thrive intellectually instead of just looking at porn, which I have no doubt it will happen.

Also, what developing countries are they speaking of? How many developing countries have that much access to wifi and internet? Will these tablets come preloaded with content like e-books or porn?
 
Probally be next years new reality series. I can see it now, with little hidden cameras recording them tring to figure it all out. Edit it properly and it could look like a great thing. On the other hand it could like a total disaster. lol. Sounds like a hit to me. 😛
 
One of the theories of the project is that the childish styling and large quantities would depress the appeal/value among adults and limit theft and reselling (a questionable idea). Internet service is from a satellite uplink and a mesh network (the older design with the flip-up ears had over a mile range). As far as the porn problem - they're expecting that competent adults will supervise the kids using them (filtering opponents in the USA want parents to do that now instead of relying on software/government/ISPs to do it.)

As for the Coke bottle movie reference - I didn't see the movie but from what I've heard the bottle caused a lot of problems. Not a promising prediction.
 
This is actually rather reminiscent of when schools started getting computers and then laptops (minus the air-dropping, of course). A lot of times the equipment was simply dropped off at the schools with no more instruction than the user manuals. Teachers and administrators were left with figuring out how to integrate the technology in their "spare time." It wasn't pretty and this is worse.
Other folks have already pointed out the connection issue. In many countries cell service is fairly common, even out in remote areas, but someone still has to foot the bill for the wireless contract.
Likewise, these computers cost something too. If I were a stockholder (if there is such a thing) in OLPC, I'd be raising a fuss at the next meeting.
The total lack of concern for how these will be used borders on idiocy... from the wrong side of that border. How does it figure that a child should be able to figure the use out, but an adult couldn't. (It's that old myth of adults being computer-phobic, I'll bet.) Most of these devices _will_ be taken from a child lucky enough to find them first and, if the person who takes it can't figure out how to use it, he'll find someone who can or sell it to someone who can.
I think the only theory that makes sense is the one that these were going to have to be dumped anyway, so they came up with this futile, PR stunt instead.
 
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