Library Grants, Laptop Gambles
James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds asks the simple question of the OLPC: "Will this laptop save the world?" in MIT's Technology Review.
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OLPC Implementation Costs
I'm now writing some OLPC posts for OLPCNews.com; my first post is uncovering some of the hidden costs in OLPC implementation - it turns out that the $100 ...
A Million Laptop Hangover
Over the next few years, ministers of education worldwide will be waking up from their celebratory launch parties announcing the agreements for the OLPC lapt...
World Bank and National Economic Models
I got to attend a lecture by William Easterly on his new book, focusing on whether or not foreign aid can affect world poverty (spoiler: the past 5 decades d...
OLPC now XO?
There's a developing thread at Engadget about the branding efforts on the OLPC, as well as some argument to its utility. I of course jumped in, responding to...
Copyright
I used to use recipes as a good, non-new/Internet-y example of how you can still make profits (recipe books) with no attempt at copyright enforcement (who c...
Zimbabwe
A lot more information about Zimbabwe, some history, and also a look at their draconian proposed wiretap law (it's possible even worse than in the US!)
The limits of ICT4D
Someone has to pay the 'net bill: Internet traffic in Zimbabwe has come close to a standstill after an international satellite firm slashed its bandwidth be...
Nica Tech Writeup: The importance of local
Sometimes, knowing the local context is not only important, but a stark requirement. Scratch that - always. In Managua, Nicaragua, this is point is driven ...
Morality of Development
Development, like politics, is a metaphorical room where you're amazed at just how many elephants can fit simultaneously, and yet be ignored. These elehpant...
The Economics of Free
While not strictly dev/ICT related, this blog is tracking the economic implications of Open Source, (focusing on the university software development context)...
Technology and the University
More tangentially related tech info, my former employers, The University of Texas' Office of Technology Commercialization are hosting their next big conferen...
Esperanza En Accion
I'm on the technology committee of the Esperanza En Accion board, and as part of this, and in fulfilling a long-standing promise to EeA's director, I'm off t...