Posted on December 07, 2007 by Wayan Vota in Software: Applications, Content: Music, Countries: Thailand

Did you catch me last Sunday night on 60 Minutes? CBS News had a re-mix of the original 60 Minutes episode on One Laptop Per Child.

In my one minute of fame, I took Nicholas Negroponte to task for his disregard of teachers in OLPC implementation:

If you hand a child a violin or a piano they can make noise with it, right? But will they be able to make music? And if you give a child a computer, they'll be able to operate the computer but will they really be able to learn without having a teacher, whether it's formal or informal to help them along that learning path?
Now, no matter if you believe that OLPC is a cost-effective violin or not, I have a two uplifting videos we can all gather around and cheer. Amazing music videos of OLPC musician from Ban Samkha village in northern Thailand:
Better yet, here is a whole XO Band playing traditional Thai music with the XO computer:
Now exactly who thinks that either of these accomplishments came from a random TamTam activity without a music teacher to guide the children in learning musical scales, melody, tone, and temper?

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Posted on March 22, 2007 by Wayan Vota in Use Cases: Education, Hardware: Screen, Countries: Thailand, Hardware: Wireless

olpc wireless mesh view
OLPC wireless mesh view

While 10 OLPC BTest-1 Children's Machine XO's arrived in January, and 30 BTest-2 laptops arrived in February, the One Laptop Per Child Thailand group has just recently updated the wiki. Though I can't read Thai, I can see they're having a damn good time with the OLPC XO!

First off, it seems they have installed the stable 303 Build of the Sugar user interface and are experimenting with its very interesting wireless mesh view. With little XO's showing different laptop nodes and the peaks denoting Internet connections, the mesh view is a handy graphical representation of users and connections.

I wonder if the distances and locations are accurate (or will be). That would enable some very cool physical OLPC games. Hide and seek would forever be changed and freeze tag would have a whole new dimension.

thai olpc computer lab
An OLPC computer lab in Thailand

Then check out the computer lab the kids are using the OLPC X0's in. Note all those big, clunky, power-sucking classic desktops and CRT monitors are abandoned for the fun, cool, and tiny Children's Machine XO. The only desktop user? An adult.

Before we all get too excited about that scene, let's remember that kids always like a new toy. The real test will be in six, nine, twelve months from now.

That's when I hope to see a report from Thailand OLPC detailing the difference in learning levels between standard teaching sans technology, standard teaching with technology (be it desktop or XO), and the "learning learning" miracle via OLPC XO methodology specifically promoted by Nicholas Negroponte. Then we can have a fact-based debate if OLPC is a laptop project or an education project.

Until then, enjoy the sight of children engrossed in technology, and check out the dual mode screen in Thai sunlight. What an appropriate Thai image! HM B. Adulyadej.

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Posted on November 29, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Sales Talk: Countries, Sales Talk: Price, Countries: Thailand

November has not been a good month for OLPC Thailand. After Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who pushed the Children's Machine laptops as a way to replace books was removed by a military coup, we all knew that his programs, like OLPC, were at risk.

Then Thailand ICT Minister, Professor Sitthichai Pokai-udom announced that Thailand wasn't buying OLPC's on a grand scale in 2007, as envisioned by Prime Minister Thaksin.

Next, Education Minister Wijit Srisa-arn, presumably Dr. Sitthichai's boss, said "No" to One Laptop Per Child again, slamming all of Thaksin's technology in education programs.

And now according to Chris Preimesberger in eWeek:

Apparently, Thailand, which only a few weeks ago endured a political coup, no longer wants [the test OLPC XO's], "even at $100 per box," [Christopher Blizzard] added, directing blog readers to a story on the Bangkok Post Web site about the recent upheaval.

"This, by the way, has more to do with repudiating the last government's policy than open source," Blizzard added.

So that means, by my calculations from this photo, there are at least 40 OLPC Children's Machine XO's with no place to go. Even with Thai keyboards, and my utter inability to read Thai, let me be the first to say:
I'LL TAKE THEM ALL!!
I'll pay $100 for each of them, so $4,000 for the lot. Cash, check, PayPal, or even Western Union. And I'll even go up to Boston myself to pick the computers up (I have a Chinatown Bus standing by..).

Why? Because of the amazing demand to buy a OLPC via eBay XO sales for use in American educational systems. A demand heightened, whetted, and unquenched. I'll even pledge all profits to subsidize others; more Children's Machine XO-1's for students in the developing world.

If you, like me, want a OLPC XO-1, and would pay more than $100, with the mark-up going to subsidize laptops for poor children, add your order to the comments section below.

Of course I'll keep a few for testing to develop dozens of different uses for such amazing technology like Sugar, AbiWord, dual mode screens, and mesh networks. Testing and development in environments as diverse as Timbuktu or Vientiane or Sinjuku to push the OLPC XO-1's limits.

The limits of its use cases, of its roles in society, of its possibilities to democratize information. And of course the ability to run DOOM on the OLPC XO-1.

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Posted on November 28, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Thailand

While Thailand's Open Source community celebrated the recent turnaround of the Thai government's acceptance of OLPC, and it looked like OLPC Thailand sales were back on, Thailand ICT Minister Dr. Sitthichai was smart in hedging his enthusiasm with the reference to other decision makers. According to The Nation Education Minister Wijit Srisa-arn, presumably Dr. Sitthichai's boss, has decided to end Thailand's participation in developing the Children's Machine XO.

Continue reading "Thailand Says "No" to OLPC, Again"

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Posted on November 23, 2006 by David in Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Thailand

Just a few days ago, we reported that the future looked bleak for OLPC Thailand. It seemed that the project's close ties with Thaksin Shinawatra - the caretaker Prime Minister ousted in this years coup - coupled with the incoming ICT minister Professor Sitthichai Pokai-udom's apparent distrust of open source projects had put paid to the little green laptop's Thailand prospects. Not so it seems. Today we discovered that it may all have been a misunderstanding - the ICT minister thinks OLPC is great!

Continue reading "OLPC Thailand Sales Back On?"

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Posted on November 19, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Thailand

I really wish there was a Thai-English auto-translator like the amazing Google Translate or Alta Vista's Bablefish. Then I could translate this Thairath website and understand better what is happening to One Laptop Per Child in Thailand.

As it is, we have to rely on Songphan Choemprayong, a Thai graduate student, for our Thai-centric OLPC news.

And the news from Choemprayong isn't pretty.

Continue reading "Thailand Is Not Buying OLPC in 2007"

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Posted on November 02, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Countries: Brazil, Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Thailand, Prototypes: XO

IDG Now Brazil is reporting that the Brazilian government will receive 50 test laptops from OLPC. From a Bablefish translation:
The special assessorship of the Presidency, agency of the responsible government for the choice of the platform to be used in the national education, waits to receive the equipment “close to day 15” from November.
Brazil would be the first country to have working models. Or at least semi-working models if you follow discussions on the OLPC developer message boards.

Continue reading "Country Update: Brazil On - Thailand In Trouble"

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Posted on October 26, 2006 by David in Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: India, Countries: Nigeria, Countries: Thailand

Last week, OLPC updated their OLPC Country Map causing a number of the countries on it to change colour. Some of these changes appear rather surprising to me. It seems wildly optimistic on the part of OLPC to presume that some of these countries, such as Ethiopia and DRC could be involved at such an early stage, given the political situation they find themselves in. Moreover, the map colouring, in its current form, doesn't reflect facts on the ground:

Continue reading "Reality Checking OLPC's Mapping"

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Posted on September 21, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Thailand

Now that coup leader is in control, and new elections will be held soon, the entire government leadership of Thailand is in flux. In that flux, few if any career bureaucrats or politicians will be egger to associate with one of Thaskin's efforts or commit at least $140 million dollars towards the purchase of 2B1 Children's Machines.

This leaves Nicholas Negroponte in quite a predicament. Does he continue to claim that Thailand will be an initial roll-out partner until he's publicly rebuffed or embraced? If rebuffed, what country will step up to make his self-imposed 5 million laptop initial production run?

Continue reading "Military Coup Risk for OLPC Sales"

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Posted on September 17, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Prototypes: 2B1, Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Thailand

While the Bangkok Post thinks that the One Laptop Per Child program is UN-initiated, an affront to the dedicated technologists at MIT, it does have interesting news about the Thailand 2B1 Children's Machine distribution. Like Thailand's Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced, Thailand will be testing 30 laptops in October. Now the Bangkok Post is reporting which school districts will receive the laptops.

Continue reading "2B1's for Bangkok and Chiang Rai"

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Posted on August 22, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Countries: Brazil, Sales Talk: Countries, People: Negroponte, Countries: Nigeria, Countries: Thailand

How I love watching Nicholas Negroponte spin the One Laptop Per Child marketing machine. It really is fascinating to see how he uses every opportunity to stay in the spotlight. Today, like last month when he clarified the word "ordered," he is again using what would be an embarrassment to a commercial company and a positive spin for OLPC. What's today's marketing judo? To clarify who is getting what more than his BusinessWeek interview, he had another email exchange with the press, this time an interview with ZDNet. There, Nicholas Negroponte says that Thailand will not be receiving 530 OLPC CM1 laptops in October,

Continue reading "OLPC's Ordered Deployed Tested in Thailand Everywhere"

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Posted on August 18, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Countries: Argentina, Countries: Brazil, Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: India, People: Negroponte, Countries: Nigeria, Countries: Thailand

Buried at the end of the "A Crusade to Connect Children," BusinessWeek article are telling quotes by Nicholas Negroponte on the status of One Laptop Per Child computer orders. First off, he explains why India just said no with this interesting passage from the article:
[T]he Indian setback is the result of "an orchestrated campaign by small interests" in some parts of the country. "We are not sure of why this occurred." [says Negroponte] He does have some theories, though, for the overall opposition that OLPC is encountering. "Considerable disinformation is coming from communities that do not want to see Linux on the desktop. There are also laptop interests that see us as competition," [Negroponte] points out.

Continue reading "OLPC Country Orders Update from Negroponte"

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Posted on August 14, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Use Cases: Education, Countries: Thailand, Content: eBooks

After thinking more about last week's announcement by Thailand's Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that the OLPC laptop will replace books in Thailand's schools, I have to question those that believe Prime Minister Thaksin's quote
"Each elementary school child will receive a computer that the government will buy for them, free of charge, instead of books, because books will be found and can be read on computers''
is a positive change for Thailand's students.

Continue reading "Laptops Better Than Books for Thai Students?"

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Posted on August 13, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Commentary: OLPC News, Countries: Thailand, Content: eBooks

Yesterday, we learned that Thailand's Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced his country will test 530 laptop prototypes in October and November. Today Malaysia's Star is reporting this interesting quote from Prime Minister Thaksin:
"Each elementary school child will receive a computer that the government will buy for them, free of charge, instead of books, because books will be found and can be read on computers''
Huh, so with the OLPC laptop there will no longer be a need for books in Thailand's schools, eh? Am I the only one deeply uncomfortable with that idea?

Continue reading "OLPC to Replace Books in Thailand"

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Posted on August 12, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Thailand

In what seems to be the first pilot test of One Laptop Per Child laptops in-country, The Nation reports that Thailand's Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced his country will take delivery of 530 laptop prototypes in October and November. Thaksin used his weekly radio address to make the announcement, promising the laptop computers will be tested in remote schools. No word if Thailand is purchasing these laptops or what price it might be paying if it did.

Continue reading "Thailand Testing 530 Laptops in November"

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Posted on August 01, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Countries: Argentina, Countries: Brazil, Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Nigeria, Countries: Thailand

In a stunning development that I say is causing a few heated debates within the One laptop Per Child organization, OLPC HQ is denying they have orders for a million laptops from Thailand, Nigeria, China, and Brazil. To quote the Yahoo.com story

Continue reading "Woops, Did We Say "Ordered"?"

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Posted on July 31, 2006 by Wayan Vota in Countries: Argentina, Countries: Brazil, Sales Talk: Countries, Countries: Nigeria, Countries: Thailand

Desktop Linux reports that earlier reports of Nigeria buying 1 million of the laptops or $1 million worth of computers are incorrect. No one has bought anything yet, especially since there is nothing to buy yet.

Continue reading "Four Countries Commit to Laptops"

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