[Klug-general] XO laptop

[Karl Lattimer]

On Fri, 2008-10-17 at 23:18 +0100, Colin McCarthy wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 7:24 PM, Karl Lattimer <karl at qdh.org.uk>
> wrote:
>         I just thought I'd drop you guys a message to tell you that I
>         happened
>         across an XO laptop when I was at OLPC's offices on Tuesday :)
>         
>         These little machines might just change the world.
>         
>         BR,
>          K
> 
> Was it one of the Windows XP running OLPC's ?? :-P

As far as I know there are no OLPC's actually running windows :) It
'can' run windows, but that is a different thing all together.

> How do you think it will change the world?  Will it change 'our' world
> or the third/developing world?

Well, sitting here with it, it looks like it will change the third
world... However to distinguish the two is like drawing a line in the
sand and saying that side is poor and this one rich. 

In my mind knowledge is wealth, and a machine like this will bring
wealth to those who currently have none. This is in effect is something
can can begin to rebalance knowledge and power.

> 
> I feel that the eeepc's (one year old yesterday
> http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/16/eee-pc-turns-one-year-old-slides-under-the-300-barrier-to-cele/) and the other netbooks are changing our world slightly.  I now look at my 'computer' differently.  It don't have to be a huge powerfully beast like Intel and MS have told me it needs to be to really get what I want done done.

Well, I recently figured out that it is possible to build a turing complete computer 
from nothing more than ants and bottled pheromones, but then you can solve even more 
complex problems than a simple turing machine using the ant's ability to organise.

Imagine a future where we do our large calculations using ants, and use silicone just
for the basic stuff :)

BR,
 K