Providing Lesotho's Children with Keys to the World

This is the story of our efforts to end the vicious cycle of poverty, disease, inadequate education, and early death
in a remote rural community in Lesotho, Africa, by providing quality education and life skills
to the young children there. Join us on our journey ...

Friday, May 13, 2011

fun email conversation leads to donation

Follow this fun conversation as I search for a cable to make repairs to some XO laptops and end up getting a donation of the cable, a few spare parts, and a laptop from OLPC ...
From: jbalcomb@laptopstolesotho.org
Date: Wed, May 11, 2011 12:23 pm
To:
devel@lists.laptop.org
Hi, I'm the head of Laptops to Lesotho Inc.  We distribute refurbished G1G1 XO-1 laptops that we purchase on ebay to children in remote villages
in Lesotho, Africa.

I am fairly new to laptop repair, but I'm slowly learning how to refurbish the XOs.  We're preparing for our second deployment, and we've got 5 XO-1s
that won't boot.  I belive they are bricked.  I've worked through the troubleshooting guides, and I am at the point where I need a serial adapter to continue.

Can anyone tell me where I can get one?

 
From: Paul Fox
To: Janissa
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 11:27 AM
i believe they're now being carried by ilovemyxo.com:
    http://twitter.com/#!/iLoveMyXO

paul
=---------------------
 paul fox (arlington, ma, where it's 53.1 degrees)

From:Janissa Balcomb
Date: Wed, May 11, 2011 3:03 pm

Thanks, Paul. I will give iLoveMyXO a try. Janissa


 
From: Paul Fox
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 10:07 PM
hi janissa -- i wasn't sure we had enough to spare here at the office since i knew we were running low, or i would have offered this earlier -- but it seems we've put in a large order for more. i'd be happy to send you a serial adapter if you'd like. (gratis)

i'll need your shipping address if so.

have you written about your lesotho project anywhere i could read about it?

paul


From: Janissa Balcomb
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 10:30 PM
Thanks! That would be wonderful! You can ship it to:
Janissa Balcomb
Laptops to Lesotho Inc.
55 Eagle Creek Rd
Wayan ID 83285-5003
The only place we have written information about our project is on our website (which is in serious need of updating) and our blog, which is sort of a hodge-podge of things as they happen and as I have time to post to it.
At the advice of several funders, I'm working with a few scholarly types to put together a journal article, but right now I have no idea when or where it will be published. I'll try to remember to let you know when it comes out.
 Janissa

 From: Paul Fox
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 11:00 AM
hi janissa -- i'll get that in the mail. are there any other small spare parts you need that might fit in a small package? we're in the process of moving the OLPC offices, so this is a good time for spares.

paul


From: Janissa Balcomb
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 11:44 AM
Right now, the only parts I could use are a game control button (the large one with the 4 arrows) and a set of covers for the antenna.
Other than that, keyboards, touchpads and batteries are always needed, but I can get those from iLoveMy XO.com.
 Thanks!
Janissa


 
From: Paul Fox
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 1:41 PM

hi janissa --

okey doke. got you covered. i threw in a laptop too. hope you don't mind. the box should go out today or tomorrow. i even remembered your serial adapter, at the last minute. ;-)

paul

From: Janissa Balcomb
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 2:43 PM

Like I'm going to say no, I don't want a free laptop!
Thanks,
Janissa

From: Paul Fox
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 2:55 PM
 
that's the spirit! :-)

=---------------------
paul fox

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