I agree! Sometimes the desire to have something is because someone else has it. If everyone had a laptop then they would become as desirable as a ball point pen. And if there is a new skateboarding craze there might be a good number of these laptops fitted with wheels coupled with a demand for $10 safety helmets.
Ok so I'm being a bit facetious - put it down to Irish humour! The point remains - some things are only valuable because of their purpose, and this wonderful laptop may not fulfil that purpose because to do so would depend on a desire of the individuals using them. It still remains a fact that perceived value will be paramount. If it will help to relieve poverty, improve the quality of life and provide a means to personal betterment then great. However there are those who don't want things to be different. They are happy with the status quo because change frightens them or they believe it not to be for them. As I said before, one of the problems we have here is not getting access to equipment. We have put hundreds of thousands of euros into centres (including $1000 laptops!) and we have worked with groups who have said in the past "We never get anything" or "We don't have access to computers!" or "Nobody invests in our area!" Yet when investment arrives and when agencies offer FREE training on FREE computers these same people disappear into the mist because they have no excuse left, or realize that their bluff has been called and the reality is that they never really WANTED to use the facility, but it was something to bang a drum over! Don't get me wrong. There are those that are grateful for the investment and will make great use of it. But these people are not motivated solely by the availability of the equipment. They are motivated to learn! Forget the "$100 laptop for all." Certainly make them available to those who need them, not just those who want them without working out why they want them. Remember, not only can you bring a horse to water, you can even shove its nose in it and it still won't drink if it doesn't want to!! Ken Callaghan Digital Communities Project Manager c/o Belfast Education & Library Board 40 Academy Street Belfast BT1 2NQ Tel 028 9056 4263 (Direct line) Mobile 078 66 55 77 83 This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the originator of the message. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender. This message has been scanned for viruses and spam by SurfControl RiskFilter - E-mail. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
