The 100$ Laptop
Tuesday, October 04, 2005 at 2:10 AM
(Photo courtesy of www.macworld.com)
Specs: Linux OS, 500 Mhz, 1GB, 1 Megapixel, Wi-Fi and Cellphone-enabled, USB-capable
Reading last Saturday's issue of Business World, I came across an article on a 100$ laptop being developed in the MIT Media Lab. Yep, that's right. One hundred US dollars. Barely 6000 Philippine pesos. And I thought a Php 30K laptop was dirt-cheap.
Anyway, the said laptop isn't meant for commercial distribution -- it's meant to educate children in developing nations. It doesn't take a genius nor a saint to appreciate the nobility of this pursuit. In UP ACM's essay for its winning bid for Outstanding Community Service, I wrote:
[In] a Third World country such as the Philippines...some of the more expensive physical resources, i.e., computers, are luxuries. These tangible assets must give way to an intangible one -- knowledge. In our country, knowledge is of the utmost value -- it has no price tag, but it is priceless. It does not crash, it does not break down, and it will serve you for life. Practicality dictates that in lieu of supplying people with computers, we must educate them about these machines.
With the advent of these 100$ laptops, basic computer know-how for children is fused with day-in, day-out hands-on practice. That's a powerhouse combination.
To know more about the 100$ laptop, drop by MIT Media Lab's official website for the project. Kudos to these brilliant researchers!
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