Africa

One Laptop Per Fellow – Some TED Global 2007 Goodness

View Comments 12 June 2007

ingenuity born of necessity

A few days before departing for TEDGlobal2007 in Arusha we posted the following about Google and the African Mobile landscape.

Screw the handouts to Africa, give us the tools that allow us to solve our own problems.

The “Mac or PC?” question was asked to all the fellows during the last breakfast at TEDglobal2007. Looks like they’ve been listening as Google and AMD have decided to give each of the 100 TED Fellows a bradnspanking new notebook. The only thing we have to decide is Mac or PC.

Dear TEDGlobal Fellows,

If you have not already done so, please email me your shipping
information (most reliable), phone numbers and whether or not you
would like a Mac or PC. It will take about 8-12 weeks to put this
project together. I will send out another email before we mail your
laptop and radio so you can inform me of any changes in shipping
information.

Thank you,
Molly Aaker

You Web AddiCT has chosen a PC. Why? So the first thing I can do is install a flavour of the Linux Operating System on it. Thank you Google & AMD!

I have to wonder though, will it not be easier to source local Laptop suppliers in the TED Fellows countries with vaious keyboard, language and power requirements? Not to mention technical support? Unless… the noteboks will be those supplied by a manufacturer that already offer support in the countries the TED fellows are making a difference in?

If you’re reading this and thinking… “Here they go giving Africans handouts again” Re-think. Google, AMD, TED are giving us the tools to create change in the various regions throughout Africa and the diaspora. Be it the awesome TED Talks, motivation, power networking connections made while at TED Global 2007 and now the notebooks. All tools, it is up to us to use those tools.

*The Image is of Hash doing his 3 miunte talk at TED Global 2007 about African Ingenuity. Video clip available here.


Have you read these yet?
TED Global 2007 Fellowship List 
Getting ready for TED Global 2007 
The Times mentioned in a talk at TED Global 2007 
One Laptop Per Fellow – Make mine a Mac instead of PC 
Why the TEDglobal2007 fellow notebook delays? 

Rafiq Phillips - who has written 1144 posts on Web AddiCT(s);.

Founder of Web AddiCT(s); who tinkers with SEO while dreaming inside a technicolour conversational prism

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  1. hash says:

    OLPF… Brilliant!

    I’m going to be following what some of the fellows do with their laptops – what projects they’re working on and such. Might make for some good stories in a year.

    I’m wondering which PC they’ll give you.

  2. bankelele says:

    I’m taking a Mac.

  3. Ramon Thomas says:

    I already have a PC laptop so I’m going for the Mac. I’ve always wanted a Mac but could never afford one. So God bless AMD and Google’s kindness. This will boost my productivity because I can now let my assistant inherit my old laptop and he can work from home as well.

  4. yasser says:

    You Web AddiCT has chosen a PC,,,
    but u can also install linux on Mac,
    infact u can have 3 operating Systems runing at ONCE with the Mac, Namely OSX(Tiger), Vista , and Feisty, but u can’t do that with PC!!!!!!!!!!
    Wrong Choise Rafiq,,, lol, but not bad at all coz it’s for FrEe

  5. Stii says:

    Yean dude, you don’t know what you are missing with a mac. I’ve been on it for a little while now and I cannot praise it enough. OS X is really a good OS. You pay for it, true, but you get what you pay for, namely quality, which is something that has been tainted by Microsoft. Ask if you can change your mind! (;

  6. DANIEL ADUODEH says:

    well, i am going for the mac laptop. What do you expect……

  7. eyedol says:

    well i wonder why You Web-Addict chose a PC,,, I guess you already have a PC, so why choose it again. Well may be you’ve a reason but I see no reason why should own two PCs. Mac, is a great machine and shouldn’t be spared especially when having it for free.


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