User:Hexagonal

From OLPC
Revision as of 15:07, 11 December 2007 by Hexagonal (talk | contribs) (adding link to Bill Thompson's pro-OLPC BBC essay)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Wall clock.jpg This user's time zone is UTC-5.

About Me

I am a resident of the Southeastern U.S., and while I have been a One Laptop Per Child enthusiast for months, my only tangible involvement with the project started when I participated in the Give One, Get One program by donating two computers on Monday, November 12.

I am looking forward to introducing my children to the joys and worries of being beta-testers when they receive their XO's in, + or -, a month. Maybe they'll dip in and out of beta-testing for the rest of their lives....

I am looking forward to seeing how this wiki, the public listserv, and the underlying network of staffers and volunteers who comprise OLPC will adapt to the more active participation of G1G1 participants. For my own part, I don't see my participation in G1G1 as analogous to ordinary consumption -- I'm not buying two XO's, I'm helping OLPC help the world, and they're acknowledging my help with a reciprocal gift. But it may be the case that not all the other G1G1 participants will see it this way.

You can send me an e-mail, or leave a message on my Talk Page.

General Thoughts about the OLPC Project and about this Wiki

The OLPC Project

  • High-res unboxing photos of a G1G1 production unit were posted by Morgan Collett on Wednesday, December 5, 2007. Here's a direct link to the flickr set. Looks nice. I check planet.laptop.org every so often, which is where I learned of this. Thanks, Morgan!
  • The 11/24/07 WSJ article paints a picture of some missed opportunities, but so what? WSJ journalists can't not think of sales volume as being equal to success. But what Negroponte says in the interview is truly true, it's not just making the best of a bad situation: "if the world were to have 30 million laptops made by competitors in the hands of children at the end of next year, that to me would be a great success." At any rate, folks who haven't experienced an open-source environment don't realize what they're missing; see Timothy Faloner's tabula rasa post. If the XO really is the best laptop for the developing world, then that should become clear during deployment. The cream will rise to the top.
  • If there are fewer initial country orders than anticipated, and if there are plenty of Give One, Get One orders, then G1G1 users will be a more prominent part of the OLPC community than was thought at first. Does that necessarily mean that G1G1 will end up being a big pain in the butt for OLPC? Not necessarily. With any luck the core team at OLPC will be able to stay focused on their mission, and those of us in the G1G1 community will be able to take care of ourselves.
  • Extremely caustic, funny takes on OLPC can be found on the "Fake Steve Jobs" blog, a screed by Forbes magazine editor Daniel Lyons. Most of the OLPC posts are tagged as such, but some aren't so to read them all you'll need to go to the main page. If you're not used to this kind of layered irony, just keep in mind that you should assume that all the "conversations" Fake Steve Jobs reports are made up. This isn't journalism, not even Jon Stewart "Daily Show" journalism, but stuff like this it may save Forbes's butt when people stop reading magazines completely. Damn funny. "How do I make the rival gangs attack each other?" I do have to say I, too, was pretty startled by Bender's 11/27 BBC interview and by Negroponte openly discussing the non-disparagement agreement with the WSJ. Cynic, n. Definition: a wounded idealist.
  • How many firm XO orders are there? CNET"s "Between the Lines" blogger Larry Dignan say there will be 490,000 by the end of the year, in this informative post. Not that I think people should should have to do estimates; I think the laptopgiving website should post daily and cumulative G1G1 and direct XO giving order totals for all to see on its front page. Whyever not?

This Wiki

  • Mulling: many new questions are being added to this wiki by G1G1 participants specifically about the XO Giving program. Could, and should, these questions be moved to an emphasised, revised G1G1 or XO_Giving page? Note that there is a valid distinction between "XO Giving" and "Give One, Get One": direct donations -- XO giving -- was something you could do before the G1G1 window, is something you can do now, and will be something you can do after G1G1 closes.
  • While lots of G1G1 questions seem to be being asked by folks who have participated, many are also being asked by folks who are seriously considering participating in G1G1 but have not yet done so. Clean answers will encourage them to do so. Most questions can be put into these categories:
  • Questions about world XO deployment
  • General Philosophical Questions
  • Questions about Laptop Giving Not Related to Give One, Get One
  • Questions about Give One, Get One
North American Ordering and Shipping Details
Participating in G1G1 from Countries not in North America
What Will Ship With the XO
Warranty and Support
Hardware and Networking Questions
Internet Security and Filtering
What Accessories Will Be Available to G1G1 Participants
What Peripherals Will We Be Able to Hook Our G1G1 XO's Up To
Questions about the Software That's Actually Included
What Other Software Applications Might We Be Able To Use

(There don't seem to be many questions along the lines of "what can I do with an XO that I can't already do?"; most seem to be variations of "I do this; can I do this with an XO?")

To Do's

  • Update the Glossary to include jabber, pootle, git, and other terms XO developers are using that I don't know.
  • Ideally, the three sets of "ask a question" archives should be consolidated. Not sure I'm the one to do that....
  • Many of the questions or parts of questions I've posted at Ask_OLPC_a_Question have been answered (at least to my satisfaction). To indicate that the questions have been answered I've moved the questions I posed to the archive. Note that there seem to be three unconnected archives.
  • Revising the main "Ask a question" pages into the categories above. User:Hexagonal/draft is a possible way to go.

E-Mails from OLPC

In October, soon after seeing the NYT XO review, I signed up to receive a reminder e-mail at the start of the Give One, Get One window, but I never got that e-mail.

I signed up to participate in G1G1 the morning of the first day, 11/12/07. Soon after completing the transaction I got a confirmatory e-mail from service@paypal.com, with the subject line "Receipt for Your Payment to OLPC Foundation":

Dear _____,
This email confirms that you have paid OLPC Foundation (paypal@laptop.org) $847.90 USD using PayPal.
This credit card transaction will appear on your bill as "PAYPAL *OLPCFOUNDAT".
Transaction ID: *******
Item Price: $798.00 USD
Total Shipping: 49.90 USD
Total: $847.90 USD
Order Description: G1G1 program donation
It may take a few moments for this transaction to appear in the Recent Activity list on your Account Overview.
Business: OLPC Foundation
Contact E-Mail: paypal@laptop.org
Shipping Info: <my address>
Shipping Method: Standard Shipping
If you have questions about the shipping and tracking of your purchased item or service, please contact OLPC Foundation at paypal@laptop.org.

On Thursday, November 15, 2007 I received this e-mail acknowledging my G1G1 contribution. It was sent from "OLPC Customer Care", which is what service@laptopgiving.org seems to be calling itself.

Subject Line: Thank You for Donating to One Laptop per Child
Thank you for participating in the One Laptop per Child "Give One Get One" program. Your donation of $798.00 will bring education and enlightenment to children of the developing world. $200 of each $399 "Give One Get One" Donation is tax-deductible (your donation minus the fair market value of each laptop you receive). With Shipping and Handling, the total charge to your credit card is $847.90.
As a "Give One Get One" donor, you will receive one of the first XO laptops to be distributed in North America. Laptops will be delivered on a first come, first served basis. While early purchasers have the best chance of receiving their XO laptops in time for the holidays, quantities are limited and we cannot guarantee timing. We will provide you with regular email updates.
If you have any questions about your donation, please contact OLPC at service@laptopgiving.org or call 1-800-201-7144. Should your employer wish to match your donation, we are a 501(c)(3) organization and our EIN# is 20-5471780.
T-Mobile USA is proud to offer you one-year complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot in recognition of your support to the One Laptop per Child "Give One Get One" program. As you help children in developing countries stay connected, educated and enlightened, T-Mobile is supporting you! You will receive an email message close to the time that your laptop ships containing instructions on how to begin your complimentary year of T-Mobile HotSpot service. Please refer to http://hotspot.t-mobile.com for additional information on T-Mobile HotSpot Wireless broadband Internet service.
To find out more about the mission of One Laptop per Child, please visit www.laptop.org. To review "Give One Get One" terms and conditions, please click here <http://laptopgiving.org/en/terms-and-conditions.php> .
Thanks again for your generous support, and welcome to the One Laptop per Child community!
Sincerely,
Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman, OLPC Foundation
One Laptop per Child Foundation is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent provided by U.S. law. This receipt is not valid if your donation is refunded for any reason. Additional information about the foundation is available from www.laptop.org or the foundations registration office of your State. / One Laptop per Child / P.O. Box 425087 / Cambridge, MA 02142 / U.S.A.

On November 20, 2007, I got an e-mail with the subject line "One week left to Give One Get One" from One Laptop per Child (LaptopGiving@mail.laptopgiving.org).

You are receiving this email because you signed up for a reminder about One Laptop per Child's "Give One Get One" Program. There is just one week left to participate. For a donation of just $399 ($200 of which is tax-deductible), you will be giving the gift of education to a deserving child in the developing world, and also receiving an XO laptop in recognition of your donation. Once "Give One Get One" ends, the XO laptop will no longer be available to the general public.
T-Mobile is generously offering everyone who participates in "Give One Get One" one year of complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot broadband Internet service, available at more than 8,500 locations throughout the United States. This complimentary year of service is valued at over $350! Just use any Wi-Fi enabled device, such as the XO, your laptop computer, or a Wi-Fi enabled mobile phone, and you can connect and communicate your way. Find out more at www.laptopgiving.org/en/t-mobile-hotspot.php .
To donate, or to find out more about the XO laptop, please visit www.laptopgiving.org. You can also donate by calling toll-free 1-877-70-LAPTOP (1-877-705-2786). We hope you'll join us in our mission to bring education and connection to children in even the most remote regions of the globe.
Thank you.
If you have already participated in Give One Get One, thank you very much for your donation. / One Laptop per Child / PO Box 425087 / Cambridge, MA 02142
You have received this email because you requested a reminder from One Laptop per Child. If you no longer wish to receive emails from One Laptop per Child, unsubscribe here.

So I would have thought that since I got this e-mail, I ought to have gotten the first tickler e-mail. But no worries.


On or before 11/28/07, many other early G1G1 participants received a "first day donor" e-mail, but I did not. Interesting but not troubling.

G1G1 Sales Volume

The Give One, Get One program has been extended to December 31, 2007.

According to an 11/24/07 Wall Street Journal article ( currently found here, though this may be an expiring link), "Mr. Negroponte says there were about 45,000 two-laptop orders in the first nine days, with nearly half coming on the first day." That means 90,000.

In this informative post, CNET"s "Between the Lines" blogger Larry Dignan says that in the first two weeks of G1G1 "OLPC has sold roughly 140,000 units. In other words, 70,000 units would go to developing nations" and 70,000 to G1G1 participants in North America. Dignan predicts 245,000 G1G1 orders by the end of the year (490,000 units)

Discussing an 11/19 phone conversation with a donor services supervisor, one G1G1 participant reports here that "She also told me that the response to the G1G1 has been incredible."

A poster on an external website just shared an e-mail he received from OLPC donor services:

Dear ____:
We are currently producing laptops as they are requested. The first phase is expected to ship out just prior to the Holiday's (mid December). The following ship times can range up to 4 months. We will be using UPS as our shipping carrier.
No Solar Panel will be sent with the laptops, this item is not yet available but should be within the next 12 months. All the laptops will come with an AC Adapter. It will also come with 2 more power sources it can either be a foot pedal, pull cord, or a crank. At this time we are not able to inform our donors which one their laptop will have.
Thank you for your interest in One Laptop Per Child.
OLPC Donor Services
Retrieved from "http://wiki.laptop.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Hexagonal&oldid=83826"