Design for Isolated and Inexperienced user base

[Dan McGarry]

Susan Addington wrote:
> 
> Is anyone planning to do observations and research on what happens with 
> this project? (If not, maybe I'll volunteer.  ;-)   I'm semi-serious--I 
> was involved for some years in an ethnomathematics project in Alaska, 
> developing math curriculum based on traditional Yup'ik skills.)

Feel free to come and visit Vanuatu any time. 8^)

My project is more R&D related, but it's designed to document effects as 
well, at least in the monitoring and evaluation phase.

> Electric power: solar? stationary bicycle? I'm dreaming of the 
> hand-cranked $100 laptop that the MIT gang is trying to produce.

Truck batteries. 8^)

Seriously, they can be hooked to almost any power source, can be knocked 
about, stored in the hold of a boat[*], kicked by kids and tripped over 
by adults. They're relatively cheap and when the sun's not out, your 
generator's dead and the battery's flat, you just pop it under the hood 
of the local transport and have him run up and down the island a few times.

I wrote a 70,000 word manuscript on a truck battery setup. Cost me a 
couple hundred bucks total. 8^)

[*] And in one notable case, were used to start the ship's motor when 
its batteries malfunctioned. Made me a hero to the 40 passengers.

-- 
Dan McGarry	it.psl at fsp.org.vu

IT Consultant
Community Communications Project