OLPC Wins Popular Science Award

paulmac84 writes "Popular Science has released their Best of What's New 2006 awards. In the computing section the One Laptop Per Child project took home the Grand Prize. From the article: 'The goal of the XO is simple and noble: to give every child a laptop, especially in developing countries, where the machines will be sold in bulk for about $130 apiece. But the One Laptop Per Child nonprofit, formed at MIT, didn't just create a cheap computer. In addition to cutting costs — by designing lower-priced circuitry and using an open-source operating system, among other things — it also improved on the standard laptop by slashing the machine's energy use by 90 percent, ideal for a device that could be charged by hand-cranked power in rural villages.' The Innovation of The Year Award went to 'the alpha nail that makes your home twice as tough'. Sometimes the simple ideas really are the best."

How to dig wells

[mangu]

Try to give a poor country $100 million to dig wells and see where the money goes. A ministry for water would be created, contracts with earth moving companies would be signed, and before the first well were dug the money would be gone. The problem with pure water isn't the investment needed. The biggest problems are the corruption of the government that keeps people poor and lack of education on the importance of pure water.

So, why are these laptops different? Because of two fundamental things. First, no money is being given to Third World governments, only the technology to use the investment. Second, computers give poor people something they need much more than clean water: information and education.

After all, it's not like cheap water purifiers don't exist. With a computer they can buy their water purifier online [paodeacucar.com.br] for the equivalent of less than US$18.