MassXO

OLPC Boston

About

The Boston Interest Group is a way for people in the Boston area and surrounding locations to talk about and work together on OLPC. We aren't necessarily interested just in trying to bring OLPC into classrooms in Boston (although we generally think it's a wonderful idea) we're also interested in volunteering/contributing to the project.

OLPC Boston IS

1. a nucleation point for exchange between local groups, towards the OLPC Boston office and back, and with other groups worldwide
2. helping in organizing XOs for the local groups
3. supporting and cherishing the autonomy of local groups
4. focusing on rough consensus, grassroots involvement, and working projects

OLPC Boston IS NOT

1. going to do a local pilot in your school (although we'll encourage and support you if you want to do one yourself)
2. going to tell you what you are and aren't allowed to do (although we're always up for idea-bouncing and brainstorms)

Contact and chapters

Mailing list

OLPC_Boston has its own mailing list. (Aren't we special!) Please sign up here to be kept up-to-date on all the happenings and fun stuff!

Jabber server

• Some nice person has created a jabber (chat) server for New England. To change your XO's setting to allow access to this server:

  sugar-control-panel -s jabber nejabber.homelinux.org

then restart (Ctrl-Alt-Erase) Sugar. P.S. Originally not working but now most bugs have been fixed.

• Another jabber server has been set up as a subdomain of xochat.org:

   sugar-control-panel -s jabber bos.ma.us.xochat.org

Chapters

If you know of any Boston area schools, organizations, individuals, or groups of interested people who have organized or want to organize a Grassroots group or an University chapter, please ask them to add a link below.

Olin_university_chapter

Existing projects

If you're in the Boston area and have a project you'd like to share, please link to it below.

Events

Future Activities

• Saturday Open Jam -- every Saturday from 2-6pm. More info here
• Monthly Meetup -- 27 May 2008, 6-8PM -- Cosi restaurant, 290 Main St (Kendall Sq), Cambridge, MA. In the back room. Topic: Supporting a Boston-area pilot.
• Field Trip to 1CC -- June 7 or 8, Time TBA -- We're arranging a field trip to the OLPC offices. Please contact User:AuntiMame if you are interested in attending.

Can you help? Want to come? Want to help plan? Let User:AuntiMame know.

Proposed Meetup Discussion Topics

• Writing a basic Sugar activity.

• The Terminal is Your Friend (using the Terminal activity and what all that stuff means)

• Disassembly, and more importantly, reassembly of the XO hardware.

• Using your XO remotely (VNC, USB2VGA devices).

• Emulation of the XO on PC/MAC.

Playdates for Kids

A number of OLPC parents who attended the May 3rd "jam" were interested in setting up playdates for their XO using children. Add yourself to the list if interested:

1. User:bogstad Bill with Anna and Becca (4.5years old) Cambridge
2. User:AuntiMame If adults who act like children are allowed, I'd love to come.
3. User:donohued I'm just a big kid too! I'd love to join you if I'm available.
4. User:redpen Scott in Southern Maine may be willing to travel with 6 y.o. daughter.
5. User:michelito My 4-year-old has just started to play with the XO and I'd curious how he would turn his XO into a tool for group play.

Past Activities

• 29 January 2008 Meetup http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=1861.0
• 26 February 2008 Meetup http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=2173.0
• 3 March 2008 - 6th Annual Acton Star Party
• 8 March 2008 - Saturday Fun Meetup - http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=2142
• 25 March 2008 Meetup
• 2 April 2008, 7PM --Play Date. Mike Lee from the Washington DC Users Group and creator of the [XO Lego viewfinder] was going to be in town and brought along the viewfinder and explained a bit about using Solar to charge the XO. He also passed out swag he'd scored earlier in the day from the MIT Media Lab--sweet! Some new faces where there, too.
• 3 May 2008-- Cambridge Science Fair Community Jam-- 10am to 2pm at the MIT Stata Center. Organizing by EdwardF. Discussions on Free and Open Source educational materials. An XO was successfully disassembled and reassembled (with only 2 screws left over!). Fun was had by all.