Date: July 8th 2010

This month, we’re doing a weeknight meet-up to look at a bunch of cool new OLPC-related hardware and another new release of the Sugar Learning Platform.

OLPC News July DC Meetup: See the Pixel Qi screen Tuesday, July 13 at 6:30pm - 10:00pm Looking Glass Lounge
3634 Georgia Ave NW in DC
1 block south of Georgia/Petworth Metro Station RSVP on Facebook if you do the social networking thing…

http://thelookingglasslounge.com/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136509359710565

The star of the evening will be a working example of the long-awaited daylight-readable Pixel Qi 3Qi netbook screen recently offered as a DIY kit to swap into several models of off-the-shelf netbooks. The screen is the breakthrough technology originally developed by Mary Lou Jepsen for the OLPC XO that is now deployed on close to 2 million machines in developing countries. This technology is not only available now as a kit for hobbyists from Maker Shed, but will also soon be built into some major brands of consumer netbooks. See our previous blog post about this impressive DIY screen replacement kit.

http://j.mp/a2z3f0

We will also have the latest major milestone 10.1.1 build of the Sugar Learning Platform on Fedora for BOTH the OLPC XO-1 and XO-1.5. More details on the release notes page. This is a must-have if you own a G1G1 XO laptop. It’ll be like you have a new machine after this upgrade and the Learning Club can advise you on the process at this and future meet-ups and meetings.

http://j.mp/b9YnRP

Hot off the UPS truck after a big (and much needed) price drop is Mike’s “litl webbook,” which is a large digital picture frame that flips around to become a web-only laptop that also connects to your flat screen TV. The litl is significant to the OLPC movement in that is was designed by the same firms that worked on the original OLPC XO. Pentagram NY designed the user interface, and fuseproject the industrial design.The litl’s radically simple new user interface even contains software coded by several former OLPC employees. The litl is the closest embodiment to a consumer oriented XO laptop, except that it’s meant for your comfy broadband-connected living room or kitchen.

http://j.mp/a2z3f0

Jon Camfield will have the current incarnation of FrontlineSMS installed on his GSM modem-equipped OLPC XO-1. FrontSMS can send text message blasts out to groups, and manage replies, using only cellphone service. The system has proven invaluable for effecting agile communications in remote areas that do not have standard internet connectivity.

http://j.mp/cSlfML

The Learning Club’s next meeting will be back at the Arlington Career Center on Saturday August 7, 2010 at 1pm. Sugar Labs DC will present a much-anticipated workshop on TurtleArt as well as provide a peek at the social networking site they are building to support the software. Check back on the blog the week before or in your email inbox for meeting updates.

Hope to see you soon!

Mike
curiouslee <tmpl_var LEFT_BRACKET>aht<tmpl_var RIGHT_BRACKET> gmail <tmpl_var LEFT_BRACKET>daht<tmpl_var RIGHT_BRACKET> com