Community News
iTech provides Linux Against Poverty's main drop-off
If you need quick repair on your iPod or iPhone, iTech Electronics is a local shop with good prices and a fast turnaround.
For both the 2009 and 2010 LAP Install Fests, iTech Electronics has served as our main drop-off point for individual donations.
If you have a computer to donate, all you need to do is to drop it off at iTech's North Burnett or South Congress location.
Whitney or Demetrius will greet you at the counter, take the computer off your hands, and give you the info sheet on how to get your tax receipt and register your raffle ticket.
Remember, don't forget to register your donation! (The instructions are on the info sheet). We have a lot of great prizes this year -- including a free SXSW Interactive badge.
-Lynn
Nellie B. Software and Downloading Class
Enfatico launches drive for Linux Against Poverty
When we told the folks at Enfatico about Linux Against Poverty, they decided to hold an internal drive to collect computers. Wow.
This sort of initiative makes a huge difference. If a handful of local companies held a drive like this, we'd likely have enough computer donations to last through Christmas.
A humble thanks to Lionel Felix and his colleagues at Enfatico for their generous donation.
- Lynn
New Laptop Orientation for CCSD Families
Computer Training @ Nellie B. Community Center
Sicola Martin joins Linux Against Poverty as gold sponsor
The folks at Sicola Martin have just donated a pickup truck full of computers, and have joined Linux Against Poverty as a gold sponsor.
For the past five years, SicolaMartin has been voted one of Best Companies to Work for in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine. Check out their careers page.
ValentineHR joins Linux Against Poverty as gold sponsor
Caroline and the staff at ValentineHR have been providing support for Linux Against Poverty since the beginning. Yesterday, they formally joined us as a sponsor for LAP 2010.
Open Hours Canceled June 13th
Welcome Smoky Hill High School students!
Welcome to the Smoky Hill High School students working on their CAS projects!
We need you! We are working to set up computer labs for kids that have no other access to computers.
Our projects are creative, active and service projects.
We can use your help in everything from:
- creating posters
- designing tshirts
- fundraising
- collecting computers
- installing the computers with Linux (no experience necessary)
- packing up the computers for labs.
We will have our first kickoff meeting in June. If you would like to join us, please email Stormy Peters at stormy -at – kidsoncomputers -dot- org.
No experience necessary. There will be lots of fun things for everyone to do. If we get enough computers, we’ll dedicate a lab to Smoky Hill High School!
Laura Carbonneau joins LAP as Donations Coordinator
Last week, Laura Carbonneau came on board as our Donations Coordinator. Laura will be working with our local corporate partners. If your company would like to donate computers or other hardware, Laura can ensure that it is a simple process and can provide a variety of incentives. Contact her directly at laura.carbonneau@linuxagainstpoverty.org
Qimo 2.0 is now available!
After much hard work, and some delay, we are pleased to bring your the second version of our popular Linux Desktop for Kids!slashdot_url="http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/News/Qimo-For-Kids-2.0-Released";
Special ThanksFirst off, I'd like to thank Brian Hall for once again providing the amazing artwork that makes Qimo so special and appealing to children of all ages. I would also like to thank Jonathan Carter for patiently helping me learn how to create Ubuntu packages and get them uploaded into the official repositories (more on that below).
What's NewWe have introduced a new character to Qimo, her name is Illa, a cute and cuddly little polar bear. Illa (pronounced 'ee-la') is an Inuit word that means "friend", and we know she'll find her way into the hearts of your kids. She also has her own wallpaper featuring the artic landscape at dusk, filled with hues of pink and purple with the Auroa Borealis shining in the sky. Choose from a variety of Qimo and Illa wallpapers to find the one that is just right for your child.
Have more than one child? With Qimo 2, they can each have their own user account! The Xubuntu session is still there too, so you can create an account for yourself as well.
If you are already running Ubuntu 10.04, there's no need do a fresh install to get Qimo. Now you can add the qimo-session package from the Universe repository using Apt-get or Synaptic and you'll get all of the games, artwork, and desktop session installed.
We have had one game change in version 2. Replacing eToys on the launcher is Laby, a very simple and easy game that will teach even the youngest aspiring programmer all the basics. Tested on an actual 5 year old, Laby has proven to be a very approachable and effective teaching tool that we hope will inspire a new generation of software developers.
Download
Our direct download mirrors are busy updating to the new release. If you can't get through to one of them, you can download it via Bittorrent. Our Download and Shop pages will be updated as we hear from our partners.
Torrent: http://www.quinncoincorporated.org/qimo-2.0-desktop.iso.torrent
MD5: fcc629f107e8ca8766b15bc6e5c32e5c
SHA1: 3e328b74b2eb9fcc179b2fa93afeccea55b59ca6
Direct downloads are available on our Download page!Press
We have produced a collection of screenshots from Qimo 2.0, including the desktop, installation process, and each of the included games. Feel free to use these images when talking about our new release. Please contact info@qimo4kids.com for additional information or comments.
Lauren Sell joins Linux Against Poverty as PR Coordinator
I'm very happy to announce that Lauren Sell, of Rackspace and formerly of Porter Novelli, is joining Linux Against Poverty to coordinate our PR efforts. We breathed a collective sigh of relief when she agreed to come on board. The experience Lauren brings will no doubt increase our effectiveness this year -- meaning more computers for more kids.
You can reach Lauren at lauren.sell@linuxagainstpoverty.org
Triumph Cafe joins LAP as in-kind sponsor
Triumph Cafe has been a long time friend of the Austin tech community. They have made the their space available for many local groups including the AJUG Java certification study group, the Austin Drupal Dojo, the MySQL users group. We even hosted a few of the Linux Against Poverty volunteer meetings there.
Triumph Cafe has donated several gift certificates for dinner to be used as raffle prizes for this year's donors.
All the more reason to dust off that spare computer in the closet and donate it to Linux Against Poverty!
Cospace joins Linux Against Poverty as in-kind sponsor
Our friends at Cospace just offered us several one month passes for the donor's raffle. This is a perfect opportunity to enjoy a free month's coworking and use of the facilities at Cospace.
Cospace also provides a great centrally located venue with ample parking for small to medium events. GeekAustin has been using Cospace for many of it's recent events -- including MongoDB Day and it's MySQL certification class.
Each computer donated receives a raffle number which enters you in a drawing for one of the gifts -- like a month's free coworking at Cospace.
Working on computers in Huajuapan over the weekend
Over the weekend, Hermes and some of his friends worked on the computers donated by “Caja Popular Mexicana”.
From Hermes:
Talking with Kees, another volunteer, we decided that the best way to use these computers is with LTSP. The computers are older and many don’t have a hard disk or they have a very small one.
My friend Mario David May Cuevas (maqquq) helped us. He is the guy from the lab on “El Jicaral”. My sister and my girlfriend also helped us.
My friends Efrén Sánchez Juárez (rootsan) with debian t-shirt and Ángel Rodolfo Pérez Canseco (ikkaro) working on a computer.
Over the weekend we set up 12 computers with LTSP, and they worked very well.
The repaired machines!
My friends rootsan, ikkaro and Mario David May Cuevas, next to the books.
Ikkaro sleeping in the car after a very busy weekend.
All the friends that work on the computers this weekend.
rootsan: Efrén Sánchez Juárez
maqquq: Mario David May Cuevas
ikkaro: Ángel Rodolfo Pérez Canseco
Gris: Griselda Legaria Ortega (my girlfriend)
Maguito: Margarita Esperanza Ojeda Ruiz (Hermes’ sister)
Thot: Me
We still need some DDR 233MHz sticks and PXE network cards. The best part of this weekend was the Pentium II (233Mhz) computer, running like a new computer, using LTSP.
Thanks to Kees for the memories sticks, they were really useful.
UPDATE: 25 of the computers from this batch are now working!
Kids on Computers Brochure
Kids on Computers has a new brochure! Many thanks to Kees and Erin!
To print:
- Download the brochure
- Under Paper->Size, choose Borderless8.5x11in
- Under Orientation, choose Landscape
I’m probably the last person to read Wicked
To begin, I am a sucker for having a book recommended to me. It makes me slightly crazy when someone has read a book I haven’t, tells me how great it was, and then stands there thinking “Don’t you wish you knew what I know?” This book by Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was actually recommended by two people simultaneously, and then given to me directly with the express directive to read it ASAP. So, how could I resist reading it any longer?
Having recently received my undergraduate degree in English, I like to think I have a clever, if not valid, opinion on the literature I come in contact with. Truth be told, I find that I am easy to please when it comes to fiction, as long as the author has an unique voice and there is at least a bit of artistic merit. My favorites from school were Wilde, Hemingway, and other beautiful or rugged manly types who were either funny, honest, tormented, or all three. Maguire seems to be in league with Christopher Moore, another favorite, who likes to use funny, easy to relate to characters, a sprinkle of violence, and just enough sex to make things interesting. As you must know, Wicked is wildly popular, has it’s own wildly-popular Broadway play, is featured frequently in the wildly-popular TV show Glee… Anyhow, I had high expectations going into it.
Wicked is slow to begin, although the prologue gave me a taste of what I wanted, which was some grounding of the book as it related to The Wizard of Oz. There is no way I could have gone into this book separated from the film (which I am quite familiar with) or the book (of which I am a tad less familiar). However, the author surely expects the reader to have some background in the previous story as to create a base for the ironic humor that Wicked derives from referencing the former. On the other hand, there is a copious amount of ingenuity in the book, as it generates an entire back story about the sisters Elphaba and Nessarose who later become the wicked witches of the west and east, as well as Galinda (later the well-know Glinda who, in her enormous, sparkling, poofy dress, introduces Dorothy to Oz), and the Wizard himself. While the story of Dorothy is well-known to those who take up Wicked, it is for the story and journey of the Wicked Witch herself that the readers continue.
The novel seems to have all the aspects of a well-liked book, such as love interest and a bit of sexual intrigue, dastardly political doings in the Emerald City, questions of the self and destiny, good and evil, friendship, family, the soul… honestly, the themes in this book are endless. It was written well, obviously with a specific audience in mind: those who know the movie and could stand for it to have been a little more naughty. With more focus on the witch and the story of the history of Oz, the novel uses The Wizard of Oz merely as a starting point, catapulting the tale into a modern, refreshing twist. Specifically, you do not wish for Dorothy to get what she wants, because she is frankly a little obnoxious.
Good vs. Evil is one of the prominent themes explored in Wicked, with the characters who are considered “good” (Glinda, Nessarose, and Dorothy) to be the ones who fail their subjects, turn their gaze from the corruption in Oz, or are adored for unfounded reasons. Elphaba, naturally being the “evil” character, does all sorts of good in her own way, such as demanding rights for Animals (or animals with consciousness) and striving to protect Oz from the nefarious Wizard. While the reader roots for Elphaba, they find themselves at the same time questioning her lack of motherly feelings towards Liir, most prominently when he is forgotten in the well and nearly dies, and her adultery with Fiyero. Even with her lack of concern for Liir, the experiments she performs on her monkeys (she’s supposed to love Animals just because they are conscious, I suppose), and her half-way revenge on Madame Morrible, Elphaba shows her humanity with her love for Fiyero and wanting to make good with his widow Sarima. It’s not so much a “love conquers all” sort of thing, but rather a “everybody loves somebody”, even if they’re green or they have a wife and three children. You gotta feel for a character whose heart gets broken…
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. The familiar characters are different than you remember, and the new ones are even better. Afterward, you may not want to end up in the Emerald City, but you’re willing to give the villain her fair shake. I can’t wait to jump into Maguire’s follow-up, Son of a Witch, and see what becomes of Liir and the others after the witch’s death. Oops! Well, I suppose you saw it coming.
Atlanta Linux Fest
A big thank you to Nick Ali, Josh Chase and Amber Graner for putting together the Atlanta Linux Fest! It was hugely successful, I heard there was somewhere around 900 people registered, and we had a wonderful time.
You can download QuinnCo’s presentation from the show as ODT or PDF.
South East Linux Fest Video
The video from our presentation at the South East Linux Fest is now available! You can watch it here.
Let Their Eyes Be Opened
It is now a done thing…
Mostly anyway. A touch here and there…
Two months ago, Christina Collazo contacted me and asked if I was up to a challenge. She had been tasked with putting together an East Austin Computer Learning Center and didn’t really know how to do it.
We do…
And we did.
For those that don’t know, East Austin isn’t exactly Beverly Hills…
Not by anyone’s stretch of the imagination. Through it’s reputation for violence, gang activity and drug trade, East Austin is populated with some of the nicest people there are.
I now know many of them. Hard-working and loving people that just haven’t yet found their way out of that place. Others do not…they have nice, comfortable homes and for them this IS home…they wouldn’t leave if paid to do so.
We decided to do what we could to give them a hand…a guiding hand out of there.
Roll Call…the answered calling.
Tom King
Roy Hall
Chris Scott
Skip Guenter
Ceasar and Christina Collazo
These were the people that assembled at the 2200 block of East 2nd Street on the 15th of August to make this Learning Center a reality.
With the temperature already in the mid-90’s, we arrived at the back entrance of the Cristo Rey Catholic Church…this is the wonderful place that houses the Learning Center. Carrying in huge CRT monitors, computer boxes and various and asundry fixtures, this team went to work transforming a barren room into a place of learning and hope.
A place powered by the will of a global community.
A place powered by Linux.
There’s not a lot to tell about the process…a lot of heavy labor, younger knees than mine crawling under tables to connect cat 5 to the adjoining sockets…testing, adjusting, testing, replacing, testing…and ultimately…
Success.
This place will be used by the entire community. We have pledged one person to teach classes a week and Christina Collazo, the Director of the Center, has another person coming in to do the same in Spanish. I want to personally thank Ceasar Collazo for his strong back, ultimate patience and warm smile. It literally made the day work for us.
I want to thank everyone who took part in this…and not just the folks mentioned above.
There was a huge amount of time and fuel expended in running to get missing or broken parts and components. The day cost us a few hundred dollars but you…the people that support us, made that possible by becoming a member of the “Walk A Kid Home” program. A simple effort to fund the building and installation of individual computers for these kids. We blew through most of it in a three day period…but that’s three dozen computers built and delivered all over Central Texas. Thank you. You made this happen.
It’s you folks that made this possible. My thanks go out to those who help us do what we do.
You are the architects of this project…
we are just swinging the hammer.
