Wednesday, October 25, 2006
THE Hundred Dollar Laptop!
In the article The Hundred Dollar Laptop Tradegy, by David Henderson. "Nicholas Negroponte, the founding chairman of the Massachusets Institute of Technology's Media Lab, is pushing ahead with his plan to make a $100 laptop that will be distrubuted to milloions of young people in poor countires around the world". Although, he states it is a hardship to come. I think that its sounds like a great idea a computer at 100 bucks. He states that it would be a great benefit even if they didnt distriute them.
"What seems implicit in the above, and was explicit in an earlier Wall Street Journal news report, is that govenenments of various poor countries are expected to buy them for their young people. And therein lies the tradegy becuase govenments are notorioisly bad at getting resoucres into the right hands". Its hard becuase their are so many people to give computers to you would in a way have to pick and choose who should get one and that is hard and unfair. Do you give it to the kid who will be an economist or to someone who is going to not do anything with their lives. It seems that these countries are run by the govenements who tend to have lots of power. They feel in order to stay in power they need to keep them poor and not let them succed. "In fact, these bureaucrats are likely to give the computers to their friends or to others who are politically powerful". "In many countries, the bureaucrats may even try to sell them and poket the proceeding". On the other hand there is one good thing a person who might think that the computer is useless and use it as a doorstop but a friend might like it and purchase the laptop at a good price and will put it to good use. They stated that if a person who doesnt need a laptop sells it at 30 dollars it is alot of money for them. In fact it is 5 % of their annual income. Another issue that was brought up in the article is that would people in these poor countries spend $100 on a laptop? They state that most would not spend the money or even clost to the $100 dollars. They would rather spend it on clothes, food, and water instead. In reality most of the money that is spent on these countries comes from the govenement but they are taking it from the poor people and in a way forcing these people to not get what they really need to survive for the year. While the laptop that is only a 100 dollars sounds good in reality its not a good idea for these people.
"What seems implicit in the above, and was explicit in an earlier Wall Street Journal news report, is that govenenments of various poor countries are expected to buy them for their young people. And therein lies the tradegy becuase govenments are notorioisly bad at getting resoucres into the right hands". Its hard becuase their are so many people to give computers to you would in a way have to pick and choose who should get one and that is hard and unfair. Do you give it to the kid who will be an economist or to someone who is going to not do anything with their lives. It seems that these countries are run by the govenements who tend to have lots of power. They feel in order to stay in power they need to keep them poor and not let them succed. "In fact, these bureaucrats are likely to give the computers to their friends or to others who are politically powerful". "In many countries, the bureaucrats may even try to sell them and poket the proceeding". On the other hand there is one good thing a person who might think that the computer is useless and use it as a doorstop but a friend might like it and purchase the laptop at a good price and will put it to good use. They stated that if a person who doesnt need a laptop sells it at 30 dollars it is alot of money for them. In fact it is 5 % of their annual income. Another issue that was brought up in the article is that would people in these poor countries spend $100 on a laptop? They state that most would not spend the money or even clost to the $100 dollars. They would rather spend it on clothes, food, and water instead. In reality most of the money that is spent on these countries comes from the govenement but they are taking it from the poor people and in a way forcing these people to not get what they really need to survive for the year. While the laptop that is only a 100 dollars sounds good in reality its not a good idea for these people.
