[nylug-talk] OLPH Project

[Joshua Zeidner]

On Wed, Apr 2, 2008 at 12:40 PM, JH Earthlink <jhecht at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Message: 6
>
>
>
>  >>On Wed, Apr 02, 2008 at 12:01:43AM -0400, JH Earthlink wrote:
>  >> Hi all,
>  >> To whet your appetite, here's the pitch from the site:
>  >>
>  >> You may have heard of the OLPC - One Laptop Per Child Project.
>  >> http://laptop.org/ They're building great, kidproof computers from
>  >> scratch, with an innovative Linux operating system. They're awesome -
>  >> but they sell for $200. I'm a pro computer tech who's also a
>  >> eco-head/hardcore Green. I want to re-cycle old laptops as wireless Web
>  >> browsers - and I've found a way to do it! Better a (working) laptop in
>  >> your lap, than in landfill because it can't run the latest Window$
>  >> bloatcode...

  I recently interviewed Josh Weiss from Partners In Solidarity for my
blog and he works with a group called Next Step Recycling that
recycles old computers for use in the third world.  His interview will
be appearing on my blog shortly.

  http://www.nextsteprecycling.org/
  http://www.partnersinsolidarity.com/

  -jmz


>  >
>  >
>  >From: Kevin Mark <kevin.mark at verizon.net>
>  >On Wed, 2 Apr 2008 00:24:00 -0400, Kevin Mark replied:
>  >
>  >Have you heard of the Eee PC from Asus? wifi, flash memory, linux, 7",
>  >camera for about $400. And a few other cheap linux web browser-laptops
>  >are on the way this yaer.
>
>  I've heard of it, hope they sell a bunch, but that's still a middle class computer.
>  My machines should sell for $70 - 1/5 as much.  Buy one and you can websurf.
>  do email, write letters (Abiword), do spreadsheets (Gnumeric), and a surprising
>  amount of other stuff.
>
>  The Eee PC is the kind of unit you can buy when you have a job.  My BAC's
>  (Born Again Computers) are the kind of computer you buy when you DON'T
>  have a job, can't afford $400, but still need to get online.  To find a job, to
>  get on with your life in the 21st Century...  A computer for your kid.  A 2nd
>  or third computer to avoid the arguments about who goes first.
>
>  >The hard part is selling the wifi laptop model where folks expectations
>  >are hard to tame to accept a low-spec device. Just like the OLPC
>  >machine, folks will want a 'real' computer. Can Linux power such
>  >machines? Sure. Is reusing them Green? more or less. Battery life and
>  >replacement would be an issue.
>  >-K
>
>  I'll match my $70 Puppy-ized retreads against any low end ($500 or so)
>  Vista laptop with 512 MB of RAM.  At 1/7 the cost...  You're right though.
>  Sell a guy a bicycle, and he'll ask you why he has to pedal it.  Hopefully,
>  there will be at least SOME poor-but-smart folks who know value when
>  they see it working in front of them.  If you want a super-fast ultra-modern
>  computer, then shell out the bux for it!
>
>  Regarding batteries, you're also right, but a laptop doesn't have to run on
>  batteries.  Go to your local wifi public library, plug in your AC adaptor, log
>  on to the library's wifi, and you can spend many hours working the web and
>  not inconvenience anyone else.  The normal time limit on a library computer
>  is about an hour - how useful is that?  Just because your Internet connection
>  is wireless, doesn't mean your power has to be.  AC power is pretty easy to
>  come by - at least here in NYC.
>
>  Thanks,
>
>  John Hechtman
>  www.zenarrow.com
>  "Computer help in NYC"
>  service 212-459-4323
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-- 

 - http://www.joshuazeidner.com/