Comments on: Wired Article! + Visicalc on the $12 computer

By: Aroonamail

Aroonamail — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:38:24 +0000

fantastic !!

By: Michael Mahon

Michael Mahon — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:42:30 +0000

I think you'll find that VisiCalc's source is 6502 assembler code.

The best way to run it would be to emulate the Apple II–which would also open up a huge body of high-quality educational software.

Since the Apple II was the platform hosting the largest suite of educational software, it makes sense to base a low-cost educational system on it.

By: Greg Smith

Greg Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:38:54 +0000

Nice … but my experience teaching in Mozambique shows that TV's and even electricity might be outta reach for the poorest this targets… get them those … chickens before the egg and don't forget… poor people in 3rd world countries network to survive… anti- or a-social habits developed solo infront of a screen are harmful to normal survival routines based on enhanced social skills

By: SiliconJaguar

SiliconJaguar — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:58:32 +0000

Have you considered the PAL vs NTSC issues yet?

I would love to buy one now and get involved but the only ones I have found for sale in the USA are NTSC, but we use PAL here in Australia.

Also the 110VAC vs 240VAC for power as well.

With the compact flash adapter project, you should use SD cards instead. These are much cheaper to buy. CF is far too expensive.

But generally the project is fantastic! Well done.

Can’t wait for the C compiler!.

~Sj of the RCC~
.-.-.

By: theneo

theneo — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:21:42 +0000

This thing was popular in China back in 1980s. Now they just disappeared here.
I think this kind of sub-computer helps little with learning, but easily turned into a video game console, and then banned by school teachers or angry parents. That’s what has happened in China.

By: MADE IN CHINA

MADE IN CHINA — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:26:05 +0000

很雷人！什么年代了？还准备在中国推销小霸王学习机！

By: dereklomas

dereklomas — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:05:19 +0000

That may be true in Mozambique, but check out this recent research on the prevalence of TVs and electricity among $1/day households in India and other developing countries. TVs are amazingly prevalent in low-income communities around the world!
http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/3107

Secondly, we aren’t targeting our games at “the poor” per se (people without enough to eat or those without homes) but rather, “the emerging middle class.” There are hundreds of millions of households around the world who make very little money, don’t have access to quality education, and yet they do have a TV and mobile phone. A $200 computer may be out of reach, but a $20 computer will be far more affordable in this context.

Finally, we see video games as a social tool. That’s why we’re designing mostly social games to reflect the highly social context of low-income communities. Since it’s rare to see a TV with only one person watching, we are making games (like quiz games) that engage groups of people in a learning environment. Furthermore, even typical video games tend to be a social event, especially in these contexts. The picture on our front page is a picture of a video game arcade in Dharavi–far from being a social isolator, video games seem to be a mechanism for creating new connections with peers.

Thanks for the comment! Hopefully this gives a better sense of what we are doing.

By: Greg Smith

Greg Smith — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:10:20 +0000

Nice … but my experience teaching in Mozambique shows that TV’s and even electricity might be outta reach for the poorest this targets… get them those … chickens before the egg and don’t forget… poor people in 3rd world countries network to survive… anti- or a-social habits developed solo infront of a screen are harmful to normal survival routines based on enhanced social skills