XO computer delay

First, this very right-on remark from the designer of the XO computer, Mary Lou Jepsen:

"People are trying to make a buck off of green. Green is actually cheaper. Green isn't about (sigh) buying more stuff."

Unfortunately delivery of her cheaper, green product has been delayed. A relative got our fam one of the laptops for the holidays and we've been eagerly awaiting its arrival. Obviously some have now reached their intended targets because they're popping up in droves on eBay (and at inflated prices).

But we're still waiting for our love from the XO. When it arrives I'm looking forward to posting about it.

In the meantime these were some of the points she made about how other computers could green up, according to the OLPC (one laptop per child) news blog:

• Consume less power. According to Mary Lou if every computer in the consumer market had the power footprint of the XO, their total energy consumption could fall 95%. Also by reducing the necessary power it needs to run, you put the laptop under the threshold that can be provided by some clever and surprisingly low tech sources, as cows, bicycles or cheap solar panels.
• Expand the lifetime of the product. Surprisingly enough that's a factor rarely factored in when figuring out the impact of a product: how long will it last?
• Repairing is more important than recycling. If disposed the XO battery can be "consumed by soil bacteria" but Mary Lou has a bigger point: by making the laptop easier to service will prevent it from being dumped in the first place.