Technology
One laptop at a time?
A small but powerful $100 laptop designed for school children in the Majority World.
A prominent group of US computer developers claims it can close the ‘digital gap’ between the children of rich and poor countries. The way to do it, declares the project director for One Laptop per Child, is with a small but powerful $100 machine designed for school children in the Majority World.
The device – due out in 2007 – will allow users, even without electricity, to communicate with their schoolmates and anyone else around the world via wireless internet. The plan, with support from Kofi Annan, is to get many countries to purchase in bulk, followed by free distribution to children. So far, Brazil, Egypt, India, and several others have expressed interest.
Praise and criticism for the project have been loudly proclaimed in equal doses. Is this appropriate technology or a simplistic transfer of Western hi-tech? Is it merely a Trojan Horse designed to sweep poor children into the claws of Western consumerism? Regardless of its developers’ motives, does the little device really have clear benefits as an educational tool? A key decision in the design has been to use non-commercial software rather than Microsoft Windows. Bill Gates, true to form, has openly attacked the project.
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
New Internationalist (NI) workers' co-operative exists to report on issues of world poverty and inequality; to focus attention on the unjust relationship between the powerful and the powerless worldwide; to debate and campaign for the radical changes necessary to meet the basic needs of all; and to bring to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice.
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