This is pretty phracking cool.

faetal on 1/11/2012 at 14:30

(http://dvice.com/archives/2012/10/ethiopian-kids.php) Android tablets left in Ethiopian villages without any instructions.

The upshot? The kids learn to use them and eventually hack Android.

I anticipate Dethtoll taking issue with certain parts of this. Beards may get mentioned.

Gryzemuis on 1/11/2012 at 14:41

I read that story yesterday on a Dutch website.
The story seems to be spreading rapidly.

I think it's awesome.

It might be worth noting that the tablets are pre-loaded with special educational software.
That (http://dvice.com/archives/2012/10/ethiopian-kids.php) article doesn't mention it.
But the (http://cscott.net/Publications/OLPC/idc2012.pdf) paper does.
The software on the tablet speaks to the user, and slowly teaches him/her English and reading.
Then it goes on from there to other subjects.
If the project is really as successful as told, then this is pretty cool.

Lazarus411 on 1/11/2012 at 20:50

There's no nutritional value in eating an Android tablet. Good use of Aid money? Discuss.

june gloom on 1/11/2012 at 22:05

Quote Posted by faetal

I anticipate Dethtoll taking issue with certain parts of this. Beards may get mentioned.

Look, Stephenson occasionally has about 2-3 pages of good ideas; they're just always sandwiched by 500 pages of useless bullshit.

But this is a good idea, in a very experimental sense. Perhaps the real miracle here is this proves that self-education works, given the right tools; it's important that we have the tablets, and that they're hardy enough for life in a dirt-poor village being handled by a hundred kids -- without this technology this wouldn't even be possible.

ANTSHODAN on 1/11/2012 at 22:11

Quote Posted by Lazarus411

There's no nutritional value in eating an Android tablet. Good use of Aid money? Discuss.

Give a man a fish...?

Lazarus411 on 1/11/2012 at 23:15

yeah i've seen that advert.

ANTSHODAN on 1/11/2012 at 23:39

What advert? It's a fairly common phrase.

While not applicable to every situation, of course, I strongly agree with the analogy. Giving these kids an education is what could change Africa for the better. Granted, if aid is needed in some more immediate form, then yes, give them a fucktonne of fish, but the positive longer term effect that education will have cannot be measured. Personally, I don't think there's much to discuss. This has clearly shown that with the right tools at their disposal, these formerly illiterate kids have gone on to do something pretty damn technical. It shows at a base level how Africa can drive its own development, rather than relying on handouts.

A small disclaimer: If this post sounds like the smart-ass westerner sitting in his ivory tower and being all patronising towards 'the poor lowly african villagers', it's not my intention at all and I've tried to avoid it - I'm aware that a large part of Africa is highly modernised, self-sufficient and valuable in an economic and cultural sense. Let's not get hung up on my wording.

nicked on 2/11/2012 at 08:47

Quote Posted by ANTSHODAN

Give a man a fish...?

Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

demagogue on 2/11/2012 at 09:39

It makes a good human interest story, but of course I'd want to see a good case study on what happens to conditions on the ground over time. It intuitively sounds like English-teaching tablets will pay off a lot. Literacy is one of the most basic factors corresponding to welfare, and one of the most basic limiters of literacy is electrification. And from my work on funding for massive dirty coal burning plants or hydroelectric dams (that always use that argument), tablets may be more efficient and better for the population in the end. So it has those stats on its side.

faetal on 2/11/2012 at 16:58

Quote Posted by dethtoll

Relax, it was an empty snipe. I didn't think you'd actually dislike the idea.