The Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 assault rifle, better known as the AK-47, is simple, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to maintain. It can be used in arctic conditions, dragged through mud, sand and dust and still fire without jamming. A fusion of best designs adapted to mass manufacturing and close combat, the Soviet Union exported massive numbers of these weapons - at cost or even free of charge - to arm revolutionary forces around the world struggling to liberate their nations. The image of the AK-47 is featured on the flag of Mozambique and the coat of arms of Zimbabwe and East Timor.
The XO-1 is a small laptop manufactured by Quanta and distributed to schools - mostly in developing countries - by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) association. The XO-1 is designed to be inexpensive, energy efficient and easy to maintain. A new display technology makes the XO-1 screen readable in direct sunlight and does away the toxic mercury backlight required by today's laptops. The XO-1 is ruggedly designed for use in hot, humid and dusty environments which would severely damage an ordinary laptop. OLPC with assistance from governments and schools distributes these machines "To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves."
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1 comment:
By focusing on the series of cheap and durable weapons used by the poor (AK-47, XO ) to empower themselves, then admitting that violent revolution with the AK-47 exacerbated social problems, puts the XO in its proper place as a higher step in empowerment
devices.
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