User talk:195.16.185.35

re: deleting top 10 concerns. Thank you. I agree.

talk:idea policy Duke 20:09, 24 October 2006 (EDT)

distributed computing

Why did you remove references to setiathome or einsteinathome? I'm not the original author, but I think it's a good reminder of some of really big efforts (much like the OLPC itself) that need to be distributed and collaborative (ok, the child wouldn't do the math ;) Nevertheless, I also think they are a good pedagogical start-, mid- or ending-point for many subjects in science... 'even' the mersenne project could be interesting to the typical question: 'Which is the largest prime number?' we've all asked at one point or another... --Xavi 12:45, 30 January 2007 (EST)

Follow-up to reply User talk:Xavi#seti at home et al.

1) Advertising? Of free software? I don't agree... I would label it more on the 'plug' side, or 'btw, look at this'.

2) Those screen-savers are designed for off-line computing (they connect, download a work-unit, disconnect, work..., connect, upload results, get a new work unit, disconnect...). They don't need 24/7 connectivity, and are designed to work during the idle-process of the computer (thus the analogy to a screen-saver). They have several configuration parameters or preferences to fit almost any user's whims...

3) It's upto the laptop user to install and use it. Similarly, connecting and using a USB CD-Rom will also eat your battery away... it's upto the user the balance the trade-offs; not us.

I still think that somewhere they should at least be mentioned.

Millions of the children live in malaria-infested areas; and for them it may make perfect sense to collaborate in a project like malariacontrol.net both for awareness and a (hopefuly) a possible solution. --Xavi 11:50, 1 February 2007 (EST)

Screensavers

Splitting hairs about free plugs and advertising is not productive. The fact is that publishing "free plugs" are not part of the mission of this wiki. When someone inserts random content unrelated to the page topic "Scientific Method" then that degrades the wiki. If you feel strongly that a free plug for such screensavers is appropriate then find an APPROPRIATE page on the wiki for it and move it there.

Your comments about offline computing have totally missed the point. The Internet is unlikely to be available in the places where the laptop is deployed. There will be no way to connect to an Internet site to download work and upload results.

Your comments regarding the user miss the point. The screensaver *WILL* eat the battery. This *WILL* create physical hardship to the user. They *WILL* delete the screensaver. Given these facts, why send it to them in the first place. If you have never had the experience of living without grid power, then buy one of those cheap Chinese windup radios and try living with it for a week. Just use it to listen to your morning news fix at home, or in your car. Keep the TV and car radio turned off. If the battery weakens, pull over and crank the charge back up. You will quickly learn some compasion for the kids who receive these laptops.

If kids live in malaria infested areas then they need ebooks explaining how to keep healthy, how to recognize symptoms, how to treat the disease. They don't need to communicate with international organizations over expensive long distance phone lines that cost a month's wage ($2) for a 1 minute long distance call. I still remember when I was a poor kid and I got my first job in 11th grade. I earned $36 during that year and I didn't spend a penny of that money until Christmas. A lot of the kids receiving these laptops won't even have that kind of earning opportunity.

I created the Scientific Method page because I feel that teaching the 4 steps is an important part of a child's education and that the laptop can be used to facilitate this.