pmartin’s review
The XO arrived in Montreal.
8 min documentary about the 2nd pilot test in Ethiopia. Testing at 2 primary schools with 2nd grade students, Sep-Dec 2007.
Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has confirmed (last November) his commitment of giving 50,000 laptops to Ethiopia. The importance of the funding is its exemplary nature - it is model for other European countries and the EU itself to follow.
Nicholas Negroponte has recently said in an Interview that a Give 1 Get 1 program for Italians to donate more laptops to Ethiopia was under consideration to be launched very soon. Perhaps the program could even provide a second donated laptop by the Italian government as a donation matching encitement. So for perhaps 300€, Italians will give 1 to Ethiopia, the government will match the donation with another to Ethiopia and 1 laptop will come to the Italian person who donated. The exact way the donations are considered in Italy has not been detailed but this is how I expect it could happen.
As for OLPC in the UK could also be initiating a Give 1 Get 1 program very soon sending laptops to children in Iran.
Posted by OLPCLearningProject
See also this other video documentary of the OLPC pilot projects underway in Ethiopia.
You can digg this video here: http://digg.com/linux_unix/50_000_OLPC_laptops_going_to_Ethiopia